In the Face of Fear

Thoughts for the Day, May 28, 2020

In the Face of Fear

One  summer morning some ten years ago or so, I was sweeping the kitchen floor as I often began the day. Steve had already left for work and all the kids were still asleep. The children had a habit of lining their shoes in a row at the bottom of the stairs. That morning there were at least four pairs side by side and as I moved them to sweep, a SNAKE eased its way out from behind them and slithered across the floor. Fear entered every fiber of my being—I hate snakes! I just stood there in a state of shock thinking how did this snake get in the house and worse than that,  how do I get it out?  My choices were limited. I could leave  the room and get my oldest son but I would risk the possibility of the creepy reptile crawling under the refrigerator, losing him and never being able to sleep again, or I could find a tool of some sort in the kitchen and put an end to it. I convinced myself that I would have to muster up the courage to kill it. It took all the nerve I had as I told myself repeatedly… “you can do it.” I grabbed a long-handled spatula and a knife and using the metal end of the spatula held its head down, closed my eyes and chopped him into little pieces. 

Fear consumed me for the rest of the day. What if it has babies? What if it has parents? What if a whole family is hidden in one of the closets? What if they were gathering and growing there?  What if I step on one in the middle of the night? The “what ifs” began to take me over. That is how fear works and the “what ifs” can consume you. Maybe your fear is not snakes. Maybe your fear relates to financial struggles, sickness, a wayward child, or the uncertainty of life right now. What if God allows such fearful obstacles to cross our paths to give us a chance to grow more faithful and trust him in times of trouble? After all, He put the Red Sea and a dry desert in the path of the Israelites so they would learn to trust Him in the face of fear. What if God wants us to do the same…trust Him in the face of fear?

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah  41:10).