Funny thing – last night, just after I read today’s entry (topic: fear), I encountered an eight-legged intruder in my kitchen. A big one. My husband wasn’t home, and he’s the designated spider squasher in my house. My husband’s away on a business trip, so I was confronted with two of my biggest fears.
The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1
I love the book of Proverbs, and the one Neil uses here is familiar to me, but I never held it up against all the commands to Fear Not. When I teach Sunday school, I joke with the kids that whatever they look like, angels must be pretty intimidating, because the first thing they usually say is, Fear Not!
When Joshua takes over for Moses, God tells him several times, in several ways, not to be afraid. These are inspiring verses; we can hear God speaking to us in the midst of our own struggles.
When you’re a kid, there’s a fearlessness that comes naturally; sometimes, though, new information creates anxiety – I didn’t even know I needed to worry about that! Wow! Sometimes my son picks strange things to get stressed out about, like earning money so we can pay for something. It’s a challenge to find language to convince him that we are the parents, we have it all under control, and he can be secure in that knowledge.
I’m picturing God my Father, seeing what I’m freaking out over, thinking the same thing – If you only knew! I’m big! I’ve got that locked down! You’re taking on responsibility that’s Mine to handle!
The issue is whether I am willing to trust Him. Especially when it concerns my kids, I am a work in progress. Good to have this perspective today…
And in case you’re wondering who won (me vs. the spider), he happened to come crawling out of the drain in my kitchen sink. Instead of screaming like a girl and waking up my kids, I ran the water and washed him down into the brand-new disposal that my husband installed (for this very purpose, surely) on Saturday. God already had the answer waiting for me.
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