Daily Power #353

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Tim. 1:7 ESV)

When I think about the way the angel told Mary, as well as the shepherds, not to be afraid, I realize how easily I sometimes let fear overtake my imagination. As a self-proclaimed tough guy and faithful follower of Jesus, I’m not proud of my irrational fears, but they’re there sometimes nonetheless. One of my biggest fears is that something bad will happen to my family, especially to my wife, Amy.

She is crazy-gifted in so many different ways, and her faith always inspires me to grow closer to God. But if there’s one little thing that bugs me, it’s that Amy has what I call the “spiritual gift” of being late. She doesn’t do it on purpose, and it’s never intentional so that others have to wait on her, but it’s consistent.

So many times I’ve been waiting on her, thinking, Wow, she’s ten minutes late. Maybe something came up. Then when I look at my watch three minutes later, Oh, my goodness, she’s thirteen minutes late; what if she was in a car accident? By the time she’s twenty minutes late, she must be at the hospital and I’m already a widower!

From there my irrational fear spins out of control. About then Amy usually pulls in the driveway and rushes up to me, apologizing for being so late and explaining why. I’m so relieved to see her, I usually hug her and move on.

Like Mary and the shepherds, we don’t have to be afraid. God can handle anything, even the worst our imagination might serve up. God keeps us secure in his love.

Power Lift

Lord, I will trust you today even when I’m afraid of the future.