By Lisa Smartt
Posted: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 8:00 pm

Remember that time you were worried about your teenager driving to Jackson alone? Or the time you feared your little one’s first jump off the diving board? What about the time one of your family members went on a mission trip to a third world country and you knew there were real dangers and risks?  
When you verbally expressed those fears, your well-meaning friend, Gladys, said something like, “Well, a meteor could also fall from the sky and tear your house apart. But we can’t live in fear, Marge. We can’t live in fear.”
Gladys was onto something and didn’t even know it. Most of you have heard about the meteor blast from the sky that injured over 1,000 people in Russia last week. Oh, and by the way, if you haven’t heard about the meteor that injured people in Russia, I’ve got one heartfelt admonition for you, dear friend. Watch the news! Or listen to the news! Or the best option of all, READ the news in a wonderful local newspaper like the one in your hand or on a wonderful local newspaper website like the one on your screen.  
Now back to the meteor story. A fiery meteor the size of an SUV came charging through the sky and crashed into a lake outside of Chelyabinsk, Russia. It shook nearby buildings with a tremendous blast and intensive damage. At first, I thought it was a sci-fi hoax. Some ridiculously smart teenagers with too much time and too many bottle rockets. But no. Scientists agree. It was a meteor. A fiery meteor falling from the sky. Yes, the sky above your head.
The story coming out of Russia is beyond shocking. I mean, I knew there was always the possibility of an alien invasion. I was recently in Roswell, N.M., and my host took a picture of me in front of the famous Roswell Alien Museum. And if alien invasions didn’t really happen, I’m sure they would have never set up a museum in downtown Roswell. The museum’s purpose has to be greater than selling coffee mugs and helium balloons in the shape of little green men, right?
After the meteor landed in Russia, one of my dear friends immediately posted on FB that this had confirmed one of her longtime fears ... a meteor invasion. Really? I’m with Gladys. I had no idea a meteor invasion was even a real-life option.  
I have feared all kinds of things in my life. But I’ve never feared a meteor invasion. And truthfully, I don’t have time to fear one now. Every day we drive cars which pose grave dangers to us and the ones we love. The next time we go to the doctor, he could give us devastating news of a terminal illness. Tornadoes wreak havoc through areas of the South every spring, bringing death and destruction.
I still hope Gladys is right. I hope a meteor falling from the sky doesn’t exactly become a common human experience. But even if it does, our worrying about it won’t make it stop. Fear is a crippling blow to the process of living. So stop fearing aliens and meteors and get to the business of living. Thankfully, someone greater than you holds it all in the palm of His hand.
lisa@lisasmartt.com

Published in The Messenger 2.20.13