Are things REALLY that bad?

Just the other night Danielle (my 12 yr old daughter) and I stayed up late watching a move called "I am Legend" staring Will Smith (awesome move, awesome actor).  It was a fictional movie about a plague that nearly destroyed all of humanity.  The plague took over peoples bodies and turned them into these horrible creatures that could not move around in the day light. ANY WAY, toward the end of the movie it became VERY, VERY intense.  I mean scenes and action that had you up on the edge of your seat one minute, and hiding your eyes behind a pillow the next saying "I can't watch, its too scary" and then following that statement with "Tell me what happens next", and then waiting for the "coast to be clear" before looking up again (I sometimes even put my fingers in my ears to keep from hearing the sound effects or the Music that accelerates my fears)  what ... no one else does this watching movies...yea, right!

After the intense ending of the movie (where the plague infested creatures were after Will Smith), being that it was after midnight, I sent Danielle to bed and I had to go feed our "outside" bulldog, "Cato".  I turned on all the lights I could find and headed out in the outside darkness with the dog food....

And do you know what?  I WAS SCARED.  Here I am a grown man, father of 3, husband of over 26 years, and I WAS AFRAID of the dark... well not the dark particular, but WHAT WAS IN THE DARK THAT I SWEAR, I COULD HEAR MOVING AROUND.  I couldn't see them, but my mind was racing with images of "plague infested creatures" hiding in the woods around the dog pen.  

My Adult mind was mixing in "FICTIONAL" information from the "FICTIONAL" movie (by the way, fictional means "not real", fantasy, imaginary....).  My mind had my senses so "heightened" that I was hearing things and imagining worse things.  These images and thoughts were so strong and real to me that I was nearly running out to the dog pen, talking to the dog very loudly (you know that will nearly ALWAYS scare away plague infested creatures), and looking over my shoulder and up in the trees (those things like to jump down on you when your  not paying attention), and running back in the house and locking the door, and then saying to myself...you silly man (though I admit, I felt more like a silly child at that time).

As I have thought about this experience, I am reminded of many of the "experts" takes on what is happening in the world today.  Some have valid input on what is happening and what we should be doing... however, there are some, well lets say, nuts out there giving "Fictional" input, as though it was FACT, and then stirring up fear in people.  Fear that is causing some to be "paralyzed" with fear, and others to Run around looking over their shoulders and into the sky, waiting for the sky to fall or the end of times to happen. 

Truth is, though you nor I nor any other experts really knows what the next day holds, God does.  In fact, this "crisis" we are facing that we didn't see coming as it did....well, God saw it.  God saw it and is watching us running around looking this way and that way for help from who know what book or talk show host or new paper, or web site, when we should be looking to him for guidance in this time.  

Fear in our imaginations can create many things that aren't there and cause us to do things that we wouldn't do else wise.  

Know what, the next day after I had a good night sleep and went outside to the dog's pen, guess what.... there were no signs of any "plagued creatures" any where to be found.  Just the beautiful land that surrounds the beautiful home that God has blessed our family with.   I guess that in the midst of my "Late night fear" I should have just asked God to help clear my imagination and take away my fear of the unknown...

I suppose I will try to do that on a daily basis now.  What about you?  any thoughts?