“Hold fast to the break of daylight. The shadow proves the sunshine.”*

This week, we talked a lot about fear. My five year old son had some recent fears over sleeping at night in his room (in the dark). We got some great advice from many of you, and one of you even asked whether or not is was a new problem and suggested that finding the cause of the fear would make it easier to find a solution (excellent advice, by the way).

As Christians we know that God has told us we don’t need to fear anything. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” We certainly aren’t theologians here at Fuse FM, but this verse (at least for me) reminds us that anything we’re fearing--that enabling, crippling fear that causes us to doubt, question, or worry, does not come from God. That fear is painful. God does not cause the pain.

I once had someone suggest that perhaps I had fear or doubt because I didn’t have a strong faith. I don’t believe that to be true. There is a difference between feeling the fear and indulging in it. Psalms 56:3-4 says, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? “ The word that sticks out for me today is when. There is an acknowledgment that those moments are going to happen. Despite our best intentions, we will be afraid. It’s what we choose to do after that’s important. It is then that we need to cling even harder to the One who brings His light.

Speaking of light, we did manage to determine the source of my son’s fear. His room at night is very dark(the result of a burned out bulb), and he can’t see beyond his bed. He is afraid because he doesn’t know what lies beyond his Lightning McQueen pillow. It’s always the simplest solution, right? We only need to shine a little light into the darkness to make him feel safe. One tiny light, and my son can see enough to know that he has nothing to fear.

The light we find in Jesus Christ is much bigger than a night light. It exposes that fear--and destroys it. If you find yourself in a situation that has the fear winning out, I pray that you will pray the words of Psalm 56--- “...In God, whose word I praise, In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”

Have a fearless weekend,

Colette


* “The Shadow Proves The Sunshine,” Switchfoot