"Daddy has no fear because he's big. He's bigger than you!" My 3 yr old's words brought laughter to us last night. I'm not sure where they came from or what she was thinking about. I suppose it had something to do with the thunder we could hear outside? As I'm sitting here now I can't help but think that those same words apply to me in a greater sense. God is my father- my Daddy. The Bible says, "And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, 'Abba, Father.'” (Galatians 4:6) The word "Abba" means "Daddy" or "Papa". It's a very intimate word- with the same context as my little girl would use to call out for her daddy.
From time to time I get caught up in fear. Fear of sudden disaster, fear of failure, fear of what people think; you name it, I've dealt with it. I am a natural planner, which means I also have a tendency to worry. Even today, as I filled out my daughter's pre-K application, I was hit with fear. Worry. What-if's. One question had to do with the applicant's disposition, especially as marked by temper tantrums. My daughter is three. She throws fits. We deal with them at home, but I started worrying about how she may act when the teacher tells her to put the glitter away- will she throw a fit? Throw the glitter? Be kicked out of pre-K? All fear-related questions. All me-focused questions, spiraling out of control. All silly thoughts that, if I were to take a step back, I would dismiss immediately.
In 1999, my best friend died in a car accident. I was supposed to have been in the car that day, as she had invited me several times. The thought that I could have been in the accident scared me. I was also two weeks away from moving out of my parents' house to head off into the great unknown: college. On top of that, I was studying for my driver's license exam and terrified of failing the parallel parking portion! I was an insecure 18 yr old worry-wart, drowning in a sea of fear and panic. I met with our pastor's wife, a school counselor at the time. She led me through an incredibly scary and successful exercise: the what-if game. I had two minutes to write down all of my fears. Then we talked about each one. What would happen if I really did have a car accident like Erin? What if I never made a single friend in college? What if I failed all of my classes and lost my scholarships? As we talked through each one, I started to see a trend... my answer to all of these fears had one thing in common: JESUS. Jesus is the ultimate Friend and would guide me in making friends at school. Jesus would protect me and, if I were to die young, He would welcome me into Heaven. Jesus would be there for me. Jesus would provide. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. I was shown verses in the Bible that clearly stated His promises- and I've watched Him prove Himself faithful to me ever since.
I use that exercise even now, 12 years later. What if my hair looks stupid on picture day? What if I forget to pay a bill? What if the car breaks down? What if I lose a child? Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. From the serious to the silly, Jesus is the answer to all of my fear. His love for me fuels my confidence in Him.
"We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first." 1 John 4:16-19
My heavenly Daddy- God - is bigger than me. He has no fear. Jesus never said "I fear..." in the Bible. He said "I AM."
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