Fear not . . .

It is written in Matthew 17:20 ". . . if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." . . . but isn't it amazing that so often in life the biggest mountain we come up against is the word BUT.
But, Lord. . . . But, what if. . . . But, if only.

Years (and years) ago I struggled mightily with panic attacks. Plain and simple I was in the grip of fear. My children were young, I was a single mom. I felt that the weight of my world, and theirs, was on my shoulders. And why not . . . this world (I feared) presented dangers at every turn. How was I to keep my children safe from the mounting dangers of this world? What would happen to them if I couldn't pay the bills or live up to the vast responsibilities I had as their mom - and dad? The fears within me became seemingly endless and insurmountable.

I'm sure it comes as no surprise when I confess that during this fear stricken time of my life I had not yet asked Christ to dwell within me. But THANK GOD it is written in Romans 5:8 "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" - NOTHING is more amazing than that grace!!! His grace flowed freely for me even though I stubbornly and self-reliantly thought that I was in control. His grace flowed as I considered myself to be my children's all in all.

At that most challenging time in my life the grace He brought to me was to consider HIS mother - the Mother of all mothers - and how, if she couldn't keep her Son from the brutal treatment He was to endure - then why in the world did I think that I would be able to keep my children from facing the everyday trials and hardships in their life.

The world would call that a light bulb moment . . . I choose now to see that revelation as the Light of Christ. The absurdity of my thinking was obvious even to my unbelieving eyes so the weight of my mountain immediately moved off of my shoulders. The truth is that I had no more faith than the chip off of a mustard seed . . . but He took that speck and moved my mighty mountain.

He is teaching me about fear even now. He's using everything from the insignificant scare I had at the thought that there may be a bat in my house - to the fear for a friend who I thought was missing - to realizing the fear that a friend must have faced when receiving the news that her cancer is active again. Little fears, big fears . . . fear is fear and it robs us of peace - that very precious Fruit of HIS Spirit.

What then, you might ask, is the answer - the final answer - to every ongoing question and fear that we could ever face? It is written in Hebrews 4:16 "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for always providing an answer.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for always being that answer.
All praise to You, Lord Jesus, for the treasure that is YOUR WORD.
HALLELUJAH!!!
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