In My Fears
By Steph LaCasse
By Steph LaCasse
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry
about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will
wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the
birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any
one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
“Mom, what are you afraid of?” inquired
my six-year-old. I thought about how much I wanted to divulge regarding my
personal fears, then figuring everyone is afraid of something, I was just
honest.
I said, “Well, I’m afraid of moths
even though they can’t hurt you. I’m afraid of losing one of you kids or Daddy.
I’m also afraid of what will happen in the future.” I continued that I didn’t
know what the future holds for our family, but I know Who holds the future.
Lucas exclaimed, “God holds the
future, and the future holds God.”
Even though he’s only six, my
little Lucas was delving deep into humanity, and he didn’t even know it. People
are worriers. Some more than others. We worry about what other people think of
us. We worry about money. We worry about what tomorrow, next week or
next year will bring.
In the verse above, Jesus is
talking to the crowd about worry. He was using a very practical example of
something the people saw every day. How often do we see birds? Depending on the
time of year, we will consistently see at least a few birds each day. Do they
worry if they will have enough food to get through the day? No, they just eat
because they know their Creator will feed them.
How often do we worry about things that are
beyond our control? I do…all the time. I am a habitual worrier. In my case, it
goes beyond worry and turns into anxiety, which isn’t good for anyone. I know
that my Heavenly Father is there: He hasn’t run away, and He knows my deepest
fears, worries and anxiety. He, and only He, has the power to overturn those
items and allow me peace…peace that passes all understanding.
So, what do we do with these wise
words of Jesus? Trust. Trust that God is there. Trust that He will provide, and
trust that He knows what is best for us when we don’t know what’s best for
ourselves. Like any good father would. Only better.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What is one way you can trust
Jesus just a little bit more today?
FURTHER READING:
Stephanie is a mom of three young sons and wife
to Dave, who is currently in seminary preparing for chaplaincy in the US Army.
In her spare time, she’s employed at a law firm.
