Fear of the dark

Submitted by Mark… After coming home from work one night, my back then 2-year-old son and I went out from our garage to ride our bikes along the adjacent backroad. When we got to the end of the road, he realized all of a sudden that it was getting dark, and without any warning, he raced down the road back into the garage. With his back turned to me, he shouted to me to bring his bike back. I had never seen him run so fast. When I finally caught up to him, he was in the back of the garage waiting for me. I asked him if he was scared of the dark and he replied that he was, which was why he took off like that. I tried reassuring him that everything was okay since I was here but he wouldn’t take his eyes off of the dark. He was so gripped by this fear of the dark. I was sad as it told me that I wasn’t enough of a presence to provide some comfort to him. This incident provided me a window into the way I operate before God. I’m not all that different as I see how I’m gripped by and driven by the fear of not measuring up with others and having to live in such a way that would earn the respect of those around me.

God, the Father, is right there with his promises of love and his victory over death. He isn’t interested in any of my accomplishments or accolades but in my trust in him. This is the only thing that I desire from my son and it is only thing that God desires from me. There is no need to live in my fears. All I need to be is the child that trusts in his love for me and to believe that he is greater than all of my fears.