When you were a child what were you afraid of? The litany of childhood fears can be a long
one. Maybe it was creatures like spiders or snakes, afraid of being alone away from mom or
dad, thunderstorms, loud noises like fireworks, or perhaps those fearsome clowns! For me it
was the dark. I did not like to be in a room at night without any light. Thankfully my parents let
me have a night light in my room when I was little. That light always brought me comfort and
eased my anxiety.
I’ve been thinking about my fear of the dark in the context of our theme for this school year
“See the Light…Be the Light” based on John 8:12: “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the
light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
As adults our fear of things like thunderstorms or monsters might have dissipated. But now we
have different fears – will I have enough money for rent/mortgage/retirement or my children’s
college education? What can be done about my diabetes/cancer/arthritis or other health
problem? Will I lose my job? Will my marriage survive?
In the world we live in there are a lot of things that can cause fear and anxiety. When I’m faced
with one of those situations I love to recite Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?” My faith in Jesus doesn’t erase all of the problems in my life – but He does
conquer my fear of them. I put all my hopes and fears into the hands of Jesus; with Him in
control fear no longer owns my life. Whatever challenge you are facing right now have no fear
because Jesus is the light in your life and He will show you the way.