.....hold

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind 2 Timothy 1:7

In a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon, Calvin approaches his mother and says, “Can Hobbes and I go play in the rain, Mom? Mom’s response: “No.”

Calvin: "Why not?" Mom: "You'll get soaked."

Calvin: "What's wrong with that?" Mom: "You could catch pneumonia, run up a terrible hospital bill, linger a few months, and die."

Calvin looks out the window at the rain and says, “I always forget. If you ask a mom, you get a worse-case scenario." Hobbes: "I had no idea these little showers were so dangerous."

Calvin’s mother laid out a dramatic worst-case scenario, but let’s be honest. We often do the same thing. We hesitate to try something new because we think of all the things that could go wrong. What if I fail? What if I embarrass myself? What if I make the wrong choice? We worry about what might happen, and before we know it, we’ve convinced ourselves that disaster is inevitable. We let fear drive our decisions.

But fear, especially the kind that paralyzes us, is not from God. While wisdom and caution are important (there are times when we should stay out of the rain!), they shouldn’t paralyze us from experiencing the fullness of life that God intends for us.

Think about the disciples in the storm Matthew 8:23-27. They were with Jesus, but when the waves started crashing, they panicked. Instead of remembering that the Son of God was right there in the boat, they let fear take over. Jesus' response? "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he calmed the storm.

God doesn’t promise a life without storms, but he does promise to be in the boat with us. Instead of assuming the worst — whether about a job, a relationship, or even the unknown future — what if we took a deep breath and said, “God’s got this”?

The next time fear starts spinning wild scenarios in your mind, pause for a moment. Remember that God is bigger than any storm, any “what if,” and any worst-case scenario. Trust him. And maybe even go out and play in the rain every now and then!

- alan smith

Lord, help me to trust you instead of fearing the unknown. I know that you are bigger than any worst-case scenario I can imagine. Fill me with faith and courage as I face the challenges that have been set before me. Thank you for being with me in all that I go through. In Jesus’ name, amen.