It's interesting how the world can shape us as we grow.
When I was a young kid, my cousins and I used to go visit my grandmother's house in Arizona. We'd all go as a group and stay at her place. These times are my fondest memories, by far. When I think of childhood, my memories surround visits to Grandma's house and spending summers out in the sun with my cousins.
And I have a lot of cousins.
We're a close knit family, and we always have been. To give you a quick look into it, my grandmother had three siblings. The oldest had a couple kids, who then had a couple kids. The next oldest had three daughters, who then had...at least eight of their own kids. My grandmother had three daughters, who had (including me) seven kids. The youngest also had a couple kids who then had a couple more kids. So you can imagine what summers together were like.
Now, on summer nights in Arizona, it's perfect weather for sleeping outside, which I later realized was perfect for my grandparents because they don't have a very big house here, and there were a load of us. So we would all pull out blankets and pillows and lay out on the deck (usually still wearing our bathing suits, because who needs to change when you're just going to wear the same thing tomorrow?) and fall asleep. In the morning, we'd have biscuits and gravy, and then in the afternoon we'd pile into the truck and van and go to the lake. Then we'd come home, rinse and repeat. (Usually after a delicious dinner that involved tacos, burritos, hamburgers, hot dogs, or mac and cheese.)
Through these varied amazing youth memories, the one thing that stands out to me most is my distinct lack of fear. I wasn't afraid of bugs eating me alive while we slept out on the deck at night. I wasn't afraid of someone coming along the dark street and killing us all. I didn't waste a moment's thought on jumping off giant rocks at the lake. And I certainly wasn't concerned with just how painful it was to go flying off an inner tube tugged behind a boat going ridiculous speeds. Fear wasn't even in my vocabulary.
Fast forward ten, fifteen, twenty years. Today, all of these things occur to me. My cousins now have children of their own, and I can understand why my grandmother was always scratching her neck when we went to the lake. There are a significantly less amount of them (for now) than there were us, and I can't imagine taking them out to the lake and having to watch them all day. When they climb on the tube and get tugged behind the boat, I spend the whole time watching them, making sure they don't fall off, keeping an eye on them to make sure they pop back up out of the water when they fall off. I wouldn't dream about laying outside and sleeping on the deck because there are flying cockroaches and mosquitoes and ants and spiders that will climb into your mouth. As a matter of fact, I actively avoid thinking about the sleeping portion of my childhood because I can only imagine how many bugs I ate back then, without knowing.
The point is, I am afraid.
It's an interesting place to be, looking back on where I began. Perhaps it's being around them that's reminded me of this fearlessness, or perhaps it's God nudging me a certain way. Either way, I need the daily smack upside the head. Because God tells you not to be afraid.
The Psalms are full of God telling us not to be afraid. Psalms 23:4, for instance: "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me."
Then again, just a few chapters later, in Psalms 27:1, David says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?"
Psalms 115:11 "You who fear him, trust in the Lord - he is their help and shield."
Looking for something before the Psalms? Try Deuteronomy 31:6! "Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord, your God, goes with you; he will never leave, nor forsake you!"
Something New Testament-y strike your fancy? Look no further than 1 John 4:18. "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
There are so many instances of God encouraging his people in the Old Testament. Over and over, he tells them not to be afraid, because he is with them. In the New Testament, he reminds his people not to be afraid, because he's in control. God is the one who loves and cares for us. All we have to do is put our faith and trust in him, and he will take care of us. There's no need to fear when you trust in God. Not about worldly things.
You may be going through a hard time right now. Money might be tight, and you might have just lost your job. You may have recently lost a loved one, or been put out on the streets. You may have lost your way, or be consumed by drugs. The little voice in the back of you mind may be telling you that God's forsaken you, or that you have to fear for your life. When will you die? Who will take care of your affairs after you're gone? Will you get the big promotion? Will you be able to pay your bills?
I encourage you today to bring these things before God. Don't be afraid. Remember Matthew 6:34 in times like these. "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough worries of it's own." Meditate on it, pray about it, bring your troubles before God. Allow him to help you and worry for you. Don't let your fear consume you and stop you from living the life he meant for you to live.
When I was a young kid, my cousins and I used to go visit my grandmother's house in Arizona. We'd all go as a group and stay at her place. These times are my fondest memories, by far. When I think of childhood, my memories surround visits to Grandma's house and spending summers out in the sun with my cousins.
And I have a lot of cousins.
We're a close knit family, and we always have been. To give you a quick look into it, my grandmother had three siblings. The oldest had a couple kids, who then had a couple kids. The next oldest had three daughters, who then had...at least eight of their own kids. My grandmother had three daughters, who had (including me) seven kids. The youngest also had a couple kids who then had a couple more kids. So you can imagine what summers together were like.
Now, on summer nights in Arizona, it's perfect weather for sleeping outside, which I later realized was perfect for my grandparents because they don't have a very big house here, and there were a load of us. So we would all pull out blankets and pillows and lay out on the deck (usually still wearing our bathing suits, because who needs to change when you're just going to wear the same thing tomorrow?) and fall asleep. In the morning, we'd have biscuits and gravy, and then in the afternoon we'd pile into the truck and van and go to the lake. Then we'd come home, rinse and repeat. (Usually after a delicious dinner that involved tacos, burritos, hamburgers, hot dogs, or mac and cheese.)
Through these varied amazing youth memories, the one thing that stands out to me most is my distinct lack of fear. I wasn't afraid of bugs eating me alive while we slept out on the deck at night. I wasn't afraid of someone coming along the dark street and killing us all. I didn't waste a moment's thought on jumping off giant rocks at the lake. And I certainly wasn't concerned with just how painful it was to go flying off an inner tube tugged behind a boat going ridiculous speeds. Fear wasn't even in my vocabulary.
Fast forward ten, fifteen, twenty years. Today, all of these things occur to me. My cousins now have children of their own, and I can understand why my grandmother was always scratching her neck when we went to the lake. There are a significantly less amount of them (for now) than there were us, and I can't imagine taking them out to the lake and having to watch them all day. When they climb on the tube and get tugged behind the boat, I spend the whole time watching them, making sure they don't fall off, keeping an eye on them to make sure they pop back up out of the water when they fall off. I wouldn't dream about laying outside and sleeping on the deck because there are flying cockroaches and mosquitoes and ants and spiders that will climb into your mouth. As a matter of fact, I actively avoid thinking about the sleeping portion of my childhood because I can only imagine how many bugs I ate back then, without knowing.
The point is, I am afraid.
It's an interesting place to be, looking back on where I began. Perhaps it's being around them that's reminded me of this fearlessness, or perhaps it's God nudging me a certain way. Either way, I need the daily smack upside the head. Because God tells you not to be afraid.
The Psalms are full of God telling us not to be afraid. Psalms 23:4, for instance: "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me."
Then again, just a few chapters later, in Psalms 27:1, David says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?"
Psalms 115:11 "You who fear him, trust in the Lord - he is their help and shield."
Looking for something before the Psalms? Try Deuteronomy 31:6! "Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord, your God, goes with you; he will never leave, nor forsake you!"
Something New Testament-y strike your fancy? Look no further than 1 John 4:18. "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
There are so many instances of God encouraging his people in the Old Testament. Over and over, he tells them not to be afraid, because he is with them. In the New Testament, he reminds his people not to be afraid, because he's in control. God is the one who loves and cares for us. All we have to do is put our faith and trust in him, and he will take care of us. There's no need to fear when you trust in God. Not about worldly things.
You may be going through a hard time right now. Money might be tight, and you might have just lost your job. You may have recently lost a loved one, or been put out on the streets. You may have lost your way, or be consumed by drugs. The little voice in the back of you mind may be telling you that God's forsaken you, or that you have to fear for your life. When will you die? Who will take care of your affairs after you're gone? Will you get the big promotion? Will you be able to pay your bills?
I encourage you today to bring these things before God. Don't be afraid. Remember Matthew 6:34 in times like these. "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough worries of it's own." Meditate on it, pray about it, bring your troubles before God. Allow him to help you and worry for you. Don't let your fear consume you and stop you from living the life he meant for you to live.