Got Fear ?

I am awakened for the third time from a peaceful sleep, this time it's 4am. My 7 year old is standing, once again, at my bedside. He says nothing, but I awaken just as though he were physically shaking me from a sound sleep. (It's the power of the stare, I'm sure of it). When I ask him what's wrong, his response is the same as it has been the previous two times, "I'm scared, mom."

In childhood, there are a lot of situations which are scary. The closet door being left just two inches open. The very thought that there may be something under the bed, waiting to pull you under should your leg dangle off unexpectedly. The creaking sounds of a settling house. An approaching thunderstorm...very scary! These things which are frightening in an conscious state, pale in comparison to that which scares us in a dream state. The non-sensible, often vivid mind movies, which come with the ability to scare the day-lights out of us!

I remember having one re-occurring bad dream throughout my childhood years. It only had two people in it; me and the Tin Man, from the Wizard of Oz. I was in a shopping cart and he was pushing me along the sidewalk. We always ended up at Knotts Berry Farm for some reason! He would park the shopping cart somewhere along the streets of the Old West Ghost Towne,located in the park, and leave! It was at this point I would realize that my mom and dad were nowhere to be found. All alone in that silly shopping cart! That was my nightmare! Crazy as it sounds, it caused many nights of terror. (Strangely enough I still really like the Wizard of Oz, but have never completely trusted that Tin Man. He and his squinty, silver eyes!!)

The remedy for a bad dream or scary awake-thought when you are a child is usually to head straight to mom and dad's bedroom. I'm not exactly sure what it is about that big, soft, warm bed. Combine that with the arms of a loving parent, and you have a complete safety zone!! No Boogie Man would dare enter that room!

Move forward into adulthood. What scares you, now? Honestly, there are a lot of things that come to my own mind. The state of the country, the state of the world, politics in general, my health and that of my loved ones and friends, losing my mom, being a good parent, doing the right thing when the challenge presents itself... the list is extensive.

I no longer have mom and dad's arms to run into. But I do have a loving Heavenly Father, who has held me through several scary moments in adulthood. Like the night we found out that my husband had kidney failure, and an active auto immune disease that may also attack his lungs and brain! That night we were told that he would need to go on high levels of chemo therapy and dialysis to remain alive. Hopefully, getting the disease into remission before it progressed further through his vascular system. That was a really scary time!

But the arms of my Father, although not visible to earthly eyes, were holding me, comforting me, and making me feel safe, just like when I was a little girl in my earthly parent's bedroom. His Word gave my spirit comfort. I learned that "With God all things are possible" ~ Mt 19-26. I was reminded about WHO gives us a spirit of fear...and here's a hint, it's NOT God.

Even though many of us look at what is happening in the country, at this very moment, and are scared about the direction that it is headed, there is one thing to hold on to; We serve a sovereign God, who is in total control of all things! Everything will come to pass as He wills it. It is so little about me or you... but rather about Him. His will, which is always love-based. Trusting Him and giving the fear, anxiety and hopelessness we may feel, to Him.

I have learned that it is only in His arms...in relationship with our God, that the Boogie Man will not get us! We are truly safe. We have nothing to worry about, for we are His children, and his love for us is abundant!