Do Not Be Afraid

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Mark 5:36

Fear has a way of controlling who we are.

Fear has a way of clouding our “lens” to the things around us.

Fear has a way of stealing our joy.

The past few days I have thought about fear. On Friday we received a new child. This child came to us scared. Their eyes showed the fear, there was no hiding it. The crying and tears that ran down their face, proved that everything at BG, the staff, the children, the volunteers, were all too much and this child was very overwhelmed by it all.

Friday morning, a team from the United States arrived to serve a week at BG. I could tell that this team just added to the child’s fear so in the afternoon when all the children were out playing with the team members, Tyler, Bryan and I took some time to just hold this precious child in our arms. Once we held them close to our body, the crying stopped. The child’s eyes were still wide and trying to take everything in, but while they were held, the world was a little safer.

Saturday, the team, Tyler and I went to Semonkong, a village in high up in the mountains of Lesotho. I have to say it is one of the prettiest drives someone could take. Not only do you see true Lesotho living, but at the end you get to see a beautiful waterfall. (Due to the drought the fall is not as big as normal, but it is still beautiful.) As we were driving someone in my car asked if things, like this drive, were bittersweet, because I new my time at BG is coming to a close. This struck up the “million dollar” question and I was asked, “What is next?” We didn’t talk about it for a long time, but through the twists and turns of the road on the way back to BG, my mind started soaking in the mountains and thoughts of “what is next?” Normally, a situation of uncertainty can be a big trigger for fear. We are taught to care for ourselves and know who to provide, but when there is nothing in the future, how does one do that?

Trust.

Trust is a word, just like fear, that can trigger emotions in a person. For me as I drove through the mountains, I felt an extreme peace, because I trust and know that the Lord has a “next” for me. I didn’t look at the drive as sadness or a “last” but as a blessing. The Lord gited me with an amazing opportunity to serve others and soak up more of His presence. The past few years have been one of the biggest blessings in my life. I want to celebrate them. I want to look at them with joy. I do not know yet what is next, but I know it is there and at the right time, He will reveal it. And before that time comes, I do not want to miss the “now” because I am fearful of the “next.”

Trusting is hard. Like the new child on our campus, they had to learn to trust us as safe people who will love and care for them. Along the journey of trust there are moments when fear can rise in you and you have to choose what to do. I am not a master at the lesson of fear verse trust. There are moments my trust feels strong, and then there are moments when fear creeps in and I wonder, “what is next?” In those moments I cling to the truths Jesus spoke in Mark 5:36 “Do not be afraid, just believe.” The Lord is whispering in our ears all day long, “I am with you. I am for you. I have a plan.” He is wrapping His arms around us when the fear overtakes us and takes away our trust.

One thing that the Lord has been telling me, is that if you have fear, it doesn’t mean you do not have faith or that your faith is weak. It more is the Lord revealing areas in your life where you need to stop and seek His face and allow His voice to louder than the fear. It is not an easy thing to do, but as I have learned, when you do see His face instead of the fear, He shows you the beauty in the mountains and then gives you someone that will sit with you as learn to trust.