While working with the aged, I have learned a couple of valuable lessons.  One, in particular, has become crucial in order for someone to remain in their home as long as possible without the need for additional supervision and care.

Believe or not, it’s rather simple in elongating their stay:  Get rid of the rugs!

Now most know not to climb a ladder as they grow older and more frail.  Many are very careful with the stairs.  Icy days are stay-at-home days for fear that a good fall will come with a trip outdoors.  But sometimes, the things that seem like they wouldn’t impact us at all actually become the biggest hazard to our safe passage in life.

What I’ve watched over time is that, as we age, our muscles decline.  It’s rather gradual, but suddenly lifting the bag of flour isn’t quite as easy as it used to be.  Neither is climbing up a regular set of stairs.  A full jug of milk can quickly become problematic.  The legs and arms wobble a little bit as we lift our muscles often making the body unsteady.  It is interesting because something as small as a two inch difference in the height of a step can make or break whether someone is able to enter an abode.

And the same is true for rugs.  You see, because lifting becomes more tedious as we age, we tend to drag our feet more.  We lift our legs less higher.  As a result, rugs become a nightmare waiting to happen.  The foot drags, catches the floor rug, the combination throws the body off balance, and down we fall.

Crash.  Break.  Sprain.  Ache.  Ouch!  “What happened?  How did it happen?  That rug that has always been there catching the dirt just caught me!?!  I never would have thought!”

Something so small.  Something lying flat and readily safe to most becomes one of the biggest risks to those struggling with their balance or lifting their feet.

Those things that catch water and dampness in a bathroom.  Those precautions that keep us from sliding across tile floors.  Those entry ways that catch the remnants from the outdoors before they track all over inside.  A great use in the right setting with those able; but disabling to those who have no room to spare.

The interesting thing is that fears are similar in a way.  We often seeing the big ones and are able to avoid them.  We don’t run in the street for fear of being hit by a car.  We watch for holes in a field when hiking through uncharted territory.  We avoid the big growling dog because he is readily visible to us as we walk by.

And so it is with our big fears.  You know what they involve and you know how to avoid them.  You likely have no problem identifying them and telling others that they exist.  You know your biggest fears–as both a friend and a foe–but what about your little ones?

You know the ones that can begin to cause the same apprehension in you but you shoo away.  The small nudges that change your cause and direction without you even thinking about it.  The pauses, the slight shiver, the hesitations, the quiet shrug, the drooped shoulders, the avoidance of eye contact–the little ones.  Are you aware of what it is that you are afraid of even though it is not screaming for your attention like your big fears do?

For as long as I can remember, I have been afraid of heights. I will tell you that straight up. Because of that fear, I generally try to keep my feet on the ground when possible.  I am fully aware of my fear and how it impacts me.  Over the years, I have worked to stop it from controlling where I go in life, especially in situations where the fear is loud and scary yet likely untrue.  Seeing New York City from the Empire State building was a perspective I would never have gotten from the ground.  Looking over Seattle’s harbor from the Space Needle was breathtakingly beautiful and worth every moment my heart pounded.

But lately, I have become more aware of the power behind “little” fears.  The ones that can be so easily dismissed; the ones you hardly notice.  The quiet fear of rejection, in most cases, does not keep someone from venturing out and among others.  While you can experience enough to keep it hidden, the fear encourages you to build strong walls and keep a safe distance.  The fear of failure cannot rule most in a way that is overtly noticeable because life is a series of beginnings and endings that happen every day despite the risk of not succeeding.  And yet, it might keep you from attempting “bigger and better” opportunities.  The fear of not being enough may be what is gently guiding you into pleasing others at all costs to yourself.

In a way, little fears are like the little floor rugs of life.  They, oftentimes, are borne of necessity in a moment to capture or prevent something from mucking up life.  But as we move on from there, and life progresses, these fears may become a hazard that trips us up unnecessarily.  Understand, the risk is unnecessary since it is the fear that is now the cause of our harm.  Just as removing rugs increases the safety in a home of those who are aged, rooting out small fears (that have been in our lives too long) increases the odds of us living life to its very fullest.

What if that little fear of rejection keeps you from the full enjoyment of truer, deeper relationships that life is now meant to bear?  What if there is something new waiting to be tried, and what if being successful is not really a part of the picture anymore?  Moreover, what if others actually applauded your attempt rather than only your accomplishment–the fear wouldn’t even be necessary!  What if you are already more than enough and truly need to know it?

In Jonah 2:8, God did not specify whether the size of your fear matters when He pointed out they were worthless.  Honestly, I believe He knew, and knows, that the little things we can’t see, or don’t appreciate as serious enough, are often the things that catch us and bring us down. The big ones, as we so easily see, are the ones we have no problem avoiding.

So, my friends, can you take some time to try and spot the little fears that might be worthless in your life as well as the big ones?  Let me give you a bit of advice:  Most of the aged fight tooth and nail not to give up their rugs, for they are confident they will not trip over them, largely because they believe it is the only way to keep the floors clean.  Trust me, it is not.  Even more important is understanding that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.   Don’t insist on clinging to something that will increase your likelihood of preventable harm.  It is just not worth the trip!

“Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.”  Proverbs 28:14