Whom Shall I Fear?

Photography Credit: Storybook Photography by Shelly

I love this time of year because...HOLIDAYS! Last month was Halloween and though it's not typically a holiday that I get super excited about, this Halloween was hands down my favorite! (Peep the pic below to see why!)

This year I decided that instead of trying to be creative and put together costumes for the girls ('cause ain’t nobody got time for that), I would just go to the best store on the planet, Super Target! It’s basically heaven on earth…(at least for stay at home moms who need an escape). This way I could buy the girls' costumes, already put together, accessories included. AND I got lucky and there was a coupon available. Go me! And while Halloween was super fun with the dressing up, trick or treating, bonfire, and worship with friends and family, there was one major lesson that God had to teach me this year.

If you’re a mom, you know that your children can be one of the greatest tools that the Lord uses to teach you something about yourself and who He is. Let’s rewind to the beginning of the fall season: Starbucks brought back their pumpkin spice lattes, the leaves were starting to turn, we were finally able to put on our boots and scarves, and everywhere you looked in the stores, whether you liked it or not, Halloween was all up in your face! Sounds great, right? Unless you’re two and a half years old and terrified of “scary things” (i.e. ghosts, witches, skulls, zombies, etc.), NOT cool. My Malia was traumatized. The first couple times we went to the store she’d point out the scary things, freak out, and hide behind my legs. It was really sad.

What do you do in those moments? What do you say? How do you comfort your child without ignoring their feelings and the scary things that are all around them? Those were the questions that ran through my mind… and then almost as instantly as those questions came, so did the answer. It was simple really. This truth. God Is Stronger! Yes, there were scary things. But God is stronger and can take the scary things away. “No sweet girl, you don’t have to be afraid because Jesus makes you brave and gives you courage.” Why? Because He is stronger!

1 John 4:4- “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

What was amazing about that whole experience was that eventually whenever Malia would see something scary, she learned to say, “I don’t have to be afraid. Jesus is stronger. Jesus makes me brave. I am courageous.” And little by little I saw her confidence grow. I saw her small faith turn into big faith. And before she or I even knew it, her fear was completely gone! There’s a reason the Bible tells us to have child-like faith.

And that’s exactly what the Lord wanted to teach me, or rather, encourage me with. Encourage me to believe. Believe that He is stronger than my biggest fears. Stronger than my insecurities and imperfections. Stronger than my failures. Stronger than anyone or anything that may come against me. And I don’t have to be afraid. Even when I’m faced with troubling situations or going through storms in my life, because I know that God is with me, He is for me, and He makes me brave!

John 16:33- "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."