Last night, I went out walking; It was cooler than walking during the day. Walking at night is so much different than during the day. As I was walking, I was reminded of the times, as a child, that I was so afraid of the dark that going into a dark room was torture. Outside at night was worse. There were things in the dark; that might hurt me. There were bears and big dogs, and who knows what else. I wanted to stay in the house with all the lights on where it was safe. If you had told me then, that I could enjoy being outside at night, I might have laughed. I am so happy that, somewhere along the line, I outgrew the fear of being outside at night. If I had not; there would be so much beauty that I would miss. I realize that this is a little thing, yet the tendency, for most of us, is to withdraw from what we see as unsafe. For some even being around other people is a struggle, for others its new situations that stress them out. Still, others are afraid of being hurt by individuals. The fact is that most of us have areas in our life where we can feel insecure and unsafe. But as I read the Bible I become more convinced that God wants us to live a full life. He has come that we might have abundant life. He wants us to live a bold life without fear, but we can’t do that if we want to stay tucked away wrapped in bubble wrap so that nothing and no one can hurt us. I think of the first disciples; they were hiding in an upper room where they would be safe. But God didn’t tell them to remain secluded. No, he told them to go, make disciples, everywhere (S. Elaine translation). Guess what? You can’t make disciples by wrapping yourself in a cocoon. Yes, you may get hurt once in a while; the situation may get messy. But God is bigger than the mess. As a Christian, you can choose to hibernate and isolate yourself from what can harm you, but you may be missing the best part of life. Why not ask God to remove the fear and begin to live an abundant life full of every blessing that God can bestow on you.
