“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” ~ 1 Peter 5:7
Facing your fears, whether big or small, is brave.
One of my fears is mice in my house. We live in an area close to farms and come fall, these terrifying little creatures try to find a warm place to burrow in our home, look for food, and wreak havoc on my nerves. Now, this is a relatively small fear, but honestly, I am grateful that God placed my husband and son in my life. They do not share in my squeamishness of these tiny trespassers. One day, however, there was a sick mouse. A mouse was out in the middle of the day and wasn’t moving very fast. Can they be rabid? I don’t know, but all I knew at the time was I needed to protect my children. It could attack at any moment, right? I had to catch it. “Lord help me!” I cried out. I really did. I don’t like being that close to the mice, but I know now that I can be brave enough to protect my family from the rabid mice. Yes, I screamed the whole time.
On a more serious note, one of my fears is anesthesia. Maybe it’s the feeling of not being in control or perhaps it’s the risk of complications, but I’ve never been a fan of needing anesthesia, either for me or my children. God has given me plenty of opportunities to overcome these fears. I’ve had several surgeries and most of our children have had surgeries. I’ve gotten better at handling this, but it is still something that brings me to my knees each and every time. Or perhaps, there are plenty of opportunities to trust and rely on Him. Every surgery was an opportunity to dig deeper with my Lord and ask for Him to take away my fears and give me peace and comfort.
God wants us to come to Him when we are scared and afraid and anxious. I’ve oftentimes had those late night conversations with my children as their mind is racing and their mouth is rambling. I call a time out and ask them to take a deep breath and ask them if I could pray for them. I’ve never had one of my children tell me no. We sit and pray and when we are done, I ask how they feel. Having God’s presence is calming for them. God asks us to share what is troubling us.
“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
Whether your fears are small like mice in the house or homework, or more serious like surgeries or cancer or marriage troubles, it doesn’t matter. God cares about them all and wants to hear from us.