What Are You Afraid Of?

The other day I was scared of a grocery bag. Really. The bag was blowing across the lawn, and when I first caught a glimpse of this thing coming toward me I thought a small animal was about to attack me.

It was embarrassing. Especially when I thought about my friend Sam. Sam is a new Adventist. He has been in horrifying situations, but he never seems to get scared. I believe in Jesus, yet I can be scared of anything!

The Bible says, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil” (Ps. 23:4, NIV).

I can’t even walk to the car without fear. One day we went to visit friends at a cabin in the mountains. We had a great visit. Our friends showed us where they had seen a bear. Night covered the mountain when my wife and I left to go home. A trail wound through the dark woods to our car. We talked as we walked, but we talked loudly. Then we decided to sing. We sang as if our lives depended on it because we remembered the bears. We hoped the noise would scare them off before they could smell how delicious we were to eat!

Christians have nothing to be afraid of. But what we know and what we feel are two different things. Let’s talk about a boy who finds a snake. If it’s poisonous, the boy should know to leave it alone. But if he knows it is harmless, he may catch it to play with it. His level of fear depends on what he knows. Now when the boy’s mother finds the snake in their bathtub, her reaction may be different!

We can unlearn fear. At least what we know. This is when we learn that God can be trusted to keep us safe.

But believing in Jesus doesn’t wipe away all fears. Fear is part of the sin problem. Which brings me back to my friend Sam. Last year, his wife Laura had to go to the hospital. The doctor gave him bad news. He looked at his dear wife lying asleep in her bed, and he felt fear as he had never felt it before.

Sam sat beside Laura and held her hand. There was a time Sam would not have known how to deal with this fear. But his faith gave him a clue. While he held her hand he prayed and prayed and prayed. Until the day Laura was well enough to come home.

When it comes to fear, Christians have a special advantage. We experience moments of grace that reduce our fears. We have prayer. We also have a hope that helps us see beyond our fear. But all of us—even those as brave as Sam—are waiting for when there will be nothing to be afraid of.

Adapted from KidsView, April 2017.

Bible Treasure
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil”
(Ps. 23:4. NIV).