Sorting Out Our Fears
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
Memory Verse
Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. (CEV)
Leticia burrowed under the covers. Her alarm had rung 20 minutes ago, but she was still hiding in her bed. Her heart was pounding, and her mind was filled with fear. Leticia knew her mother would soon call up the stairs to see why she wasn’t eating her breakfast yet. But Leticia remained frozen in bed, unable to calm her anxiety.
Have you ever felt like Leticia? Fear is a powerful but healthy emotion. God created each of us with an important safety system. Our brains identify dangers or things that might go wrong. In response, we feel fear. Our safety system’s job is to alert us to what might go wrong, but it can’t tell us whether something will actually happen or if we will be okay if the thing we fear occurs. Sometimes our safety systems get overloaded, and we can't sort out how much danger we are in. The good news is that when this happens, God and the people around us are here to help!
Leticia finally climbed out of bed and made her way downstairs. She shared her feelings with her mom, and together they discovered her safety system was responding to her fear of not doing well on her spelling test. Together they read Philippians 4:4-9 which reminded Leticia to ask God for what she needed and then to think about true and good things. Leticia calmed her fear by asking God to help her do well on her test. She also reminded herself what was true: “I spelled all the words right when Mom quizzed me last night, and I’ve gotten good grades on other spelling tests.” Her detective work told her getting a bad grade wasn’t likely to happen.
When fear popped up again as she ate her breakfast, she repeated her prayer and reminded herself of the ways God created her brain to do well at school.
Fear can feel big and hard to manage. But God designed our bodies to manage fear, and it’s a muscle we can strengthen just like we can strengthen our leg muscles to run faster. The best news is that God is always with us, ready to help us sort out our fears!
Prayer
God, thank you for creating my body with a safety system that lets me know when something bad might happen. When my safety system goes off today, help me to think about the ways you have taken care of me in the past and to trust that you will help me get through whatever happens today. I am excited for all the good things you have planned for my day. Help me to focus on the good things in my day today and to enjoy the good in my day. AmenRelated Resources
Jean Holthaus
Jean Holthaus is a counselor and before that she was a teacher. As a teacher she taught math and science to students in every grade from kindergarten through eighth grade. She likes working with individuals and families to help them solve the problems they are experiencing. She has written two books about anxiety and has two adult children.