Throughout my life, I have held onto a lot of fear.
Fear of the unknown, fear of what is to come, fear of others.
I remember being a small child and being afraid of swimming in a creek because I thought sharks lived there.
Now that I am older and have a better sense of where sharks actually live, I am still faced with different fears. These fears have changed and morphed over the years but they are present nonetheless.
There was a point in my life where God made it apparent to me that I let these fears control me. In some ways, these fears had become an idol in my life. God reminded me of his power over the waters and over creation. Even Satan is held back by God's powerful hand.
Whom then shall I fear?
Trusting God with every aspect of my body, mind and soul has been an ongoing process for me. This past 2 months, I was sick on 2 separate occasions. These colds lasted longer than I expected and took my energy from me.
I was often so tired that it was hard to stay awake when I had a moment to rest. My fear was that if I rested, things would not get done. If I rested, I would miss opportunities to further my freelance career. I held onto a lot of shame that I wasn't able to perform at my best.
I wrestled a lot with God in why he let my physical body breakdown when I needed it to work at peak performance. But, God in his gentleness and kindness reminded me of this verse:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
Through my sicknesses, I realized that my strength only comes from the Lord. Not only that, God will take care of me and protect me.
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:28
So in parting, God is with us through every season even in our colds and seemingly mundane circumstances. God is present and cares for our every need. Often I look to myself to supply my strength, but God is the one who provides and gives his Holy Spirit as a comforter.
This week my encouragement to you is,
Do not be afraid, for God is with you.
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