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Fearless

JodiAugust 13, 2020

This photo is of my precious daughter Mariah who is one of the most courageous people I know. As you can see, she has just jumped out of a perfectly good airplane and was rapidly falling toward the earth at an alarming speed and loving it. This girl is always up for any adventure and the bigger the thrill, the better. She did NOT get this from her momma. I am what you might call a sissy. I haven’t always been this way- when I was younger, I would actually go in the ocean past my knees. But no more; Shark Week ruined that for me. The joke in my house now is that even though mom wants to wait until she is safely raptured before she starts jumping off cliffs and gallivanting all over the New Earth, Mariah wants to do those things now. I have a hard time accepting that my children aren’t like me, but sometimes that is a good thing.

Don’t get me wrong, I want to have exhilarating adventures, but the assurance of the impossibility of death and bodily harm that comes with the New Heaven and New Earth appeals to me more than my need to fulfill those dreams now. Tell me I’m not the only one who feels like this. I’m not curled up in a ball in the corner, but current events have me longing to stay closer to home and focus on what the Lord is showing me in this season. In one way, my glimpses are my greatest adventures yet to be fulfilled.

I think fear is the primary cause for pain, loss, personal regrets and the breakdown of society since the fall of man in a world that otherwise would have never known the ravages of fear. Think about it- almost every negative experience we have is caused in some way by fear. Fights with friends and spouses originate from fear of abandonment, missing out on experiences in life because we are afraid of failure or pain, giving up on dreams because we are scared of the sting of disappointment, or not obeying God’s command to share Christ with others because we are afraid of rejection are all experiences rooted in fear. Nations war against other nations, fearing that one will take something away from the other, whether it be land, security, or financial stability. Fear is an enemy and it often paralyzes us from living, from believing God’s promises and accepting his best for us. It becomes a prison that we put ourselves in and we hold the key in our hands tightly.

Fear is rampant today. An entire planet is held captive by a faceless, nameless foe that has changed the behaviors of people around the globe. We don’t see things the way we did a year ago. Some people are so afraid they haven’t left their homes in months. Fear has caused us to willingly give up so many personal and constitutional freedoms, but the biggest tragedy is that it has caused many to lose sight of God’s promise of hope and a future, one to proper us and not to harm us. We forget that He is still in charge and we never were. We lose sight of the fact that we don’t have to know the answers about this current crisis or any other problem in our life, no matter how big or small. If we trust him as our Lord and Savior, we already know how this ends. We can sit back and rest, nestled under his strong arm of protection. We can pray and lay down any concern we have at his feet and he will provide. Every time. We can’t let politicians or news outlets or even our friends and neighbors scare us away from our blessed hope. It is what separates us from those who sadly have no hope because they have rejected it. We must hold our head up and face whatever tomorrow brings and show this lost and dying world that there is a better way.

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Psalm 34:19 The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.

John 10:28-30 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.

We must make a purposeful decision every morning as soon as we open our eyes to dedicate our day to the Lord and to allow him to guide our every step without fear because he loves us and we trust him. Think of a scary situation and as a child your father tells you to just look at him, keep your eyes on him and trust him as he takes your hand and then picks you up and carries you out of danger. We are being carried my friends; if we know him, then we are safe in his arms. If you don’t know him, please take time right now to consider his offer of salvation. Nothing at all is more important.

My glimpse today is simple. It is the vision of me- of all of us- in a New Heaven and a New Earth where fear is no more. Our hearts are lighter than they have ever been. We don’t have a care in the world, because we are finally free. We can go anywhere, do anything, create anything and we will not be harmed, made fun of, yelled at, bullied, shamed or abused. We will run and not grow weary, we will jump off cliffs and soar into blue waters, we will reach our fullest potential over and over again. The reason heaven is so difficult to picture is because we have never known a world without the restriction of fear; we have no concept of it. This may be the greatest wonder we will experience and what an emotional revelation it will be.

To my kids- just try and keep up with me then. There won’t be any adventure I will turn down.

♥