Christ in the Clouds

  My first memory of being full of fear was when I was in kindergarten. Our house was a few blocks from my school, and living in a fairly safe neighborhood, my parents let me walk to and from school each day. This was what all the kids did in my neighborhood, back in the day, so no one ever felt afraid. Then, one afternoon, when I was about halfway home from school, I heard growling and barking from behind me. I turned around to see a large dog running towards me at full speed! I screamed, turned around, and ran as fast as I could all the way home, the dog chasing me all the way. The animal didn't hurt me physically, but emotionally I was scarred for years, petrified of all large dogs. I eventually overcame the fear, but I'll never forget that horrifying experience. Negative experiences can often cause us to fear things, people, places, or repeating the experience, itself.  Some fears can cause us to run away, hide in our own personal shells, avoid situations,