One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into the boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell 
asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
Luke 8:22-25
I can’t imagine the fear the disciples felt as their boat began to rock furiously with the waves. I have difficulty keeping it together when a nasty storm appears on the radar within a hundred miles of my home. And I’m on land! Not everyone fears storms. In fact, I have only heard of one other person that fears them as much as I do. I guess I should clarify that I’m not scared of the storm, but scared of the possibility of tornadoes.
I know God is great and almighty, and I’ve been told often that “if it is my time to go, then it is my time to go,” but that doesn’t mean worry or fear isn’t a part of that equation when it comes across my line of sight.
Friends, this has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t scared of strong storms. At least as I’ve grown older I’ve tried to pray it out instead of giving into an anxiety attack. It’s not always easy, but I do try. Like tonight for instance, we were in the direct path of a tornadic storm. The storm was about 60 miles southwest of us. Yes, it was quite a ways, but the last thing I want to do is be caught driving in a wicked storm. Hubs asked if I wanted to go to my mother’s. Typically my response would be to grab the keys and go. Instead, I said no, I just want it to go away!
Would you believe the storm diminished and changed coarse in only minutes? Well, it did! Praise God. And it’s not the first time. Many times I’ve seen these kind of storms split in half, leaving our neighborhood with very little rain.
I’m not proud of my fear, especially when it makes me second guess just how strong my faith is, but it has enabled me to use my experience in my writing. In Priest, my heroine is terrified of dark places. Dark places represent the unkown. At one point she has to choose between the unknown and the known. Sometimes the known is much worse than the unknown, and in this case the known is much, much worse. Her decision will change her entire faith in God.
What kind of personal experiences have you written into your stories? If you’re a reader, have you ever related to something a character experienced?