we have nothing to fear.

​I spoke with the class yesterday about what they were afraid of. I love listening to the innocence and simplicity of a child’s mind. Pickles, zombies, my family being hurt, spiders, being alone, the list went on and on. As adults some of these may be fears we face as well.

I told the class that there are special things we need to remember when we feel afraid. I didn’t go into too much detail with them because it may have gone over there heads. But let me express those things to you this morning.

1) You are NOT alone.

There is someone out there that has probably dealt with, or felt, the same fear that you are experiencing right now. Someone has walked in your shoes and come out on the other side. It could be a change in job, or position at work. To losing a family member and not knowing how to carry on. Maybe a move to relocate and it’s uprooting everything you’ve ever known. Starting a new chapter in your life. Whatever it is, it’s not something new. Even though it may be new for you.

The word tells us that the Lord goes with us. He knows when we rise and when we sit. He knows the hairs on our head. He is everywhere. I’m constantly reminding the children that God is with us and in France! He’s in Florida and California. God is everywhere all the time. We can find comfort in knowing that when we walk through those hard times, we are not alone.

2) Peace and Rest come when we trust in God.

My sister and I were recently talking about this because of a change in her life. This isn’t something I have mastered or comes to terms with fully but I am working on it. We know that God knows everything that is going to happen. When we place our trust in God we can rest and have peace. I can honestly say I am not there yet. 

Sometimes we have an underlying issue which causes us to be in the shape we are in. I’m finding roots that need to be transplanted in my own life so they can flourish. Knowing this step has helped. But I find that my students have helped me with this. One of them handed me a note last week and told me to make sure I went to God first. A simple concept that I had forgotten with the hustle and bustle of my life. 

3) God is in control. 

The dialogue that came with this was amazing. I told the kids that God controls everything to which they responded, not us. They were not incorrect. We have free will. It would be so much easier if we were robots and understood everything. That’s not how God designed it. Our free will is what gets us in trouble. At least for me it does. 

God is all powerful. And even when we fail and screw up, he still sits on the throne. He still makes the winds blow the trees which are deeply rooted in the ground. Everything is in line with HIS will, HIS way, and HIS timing. We can find rest and peace in the midst of fear knowing that we are not alone because God is in control. And it’s at that place where we find peace and rest.