One day, early on, I felt God tell me to walk in the dog park. I have had a phobia of strange dogs since I was a child, so I had avoided this shady path. It winds up into the woods past two fenced areas and dead ends down at the street. If I made it past the dog areas once without incident, I still had to turn around and pass it again to walk out and re-enter the park. I reluctantly obeyed, filled with fear.
I walked through the dog park fifty-five days in a row. I jogged if I was particularly anxious, but generally I forced myself to walk. If I kept my mind on God with every step, things went more smoothly. I might even smile at a dog owner and enjoy watching the dogs play inside the fence. I could cope with the dread of one coming up the path toward me. I was managing my phobia, but I couldn’t have done it without trusting deeply in God.
When I held my breath and closed my mind in fear, I locked God out. I needed to carry His peace with me the entire stretch, no matter what happened, and this took practice. I began to breath in “God” and breath out “dog”. It made me chuckle and continually reminded me that God was with me in the midst of my phobia, perhaps especially then. He longs to show me comfort and love.
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts You. Isaiah 26:3
Meeting God at the Park 