I’m not a fearful person by nature; in fact, I love adventure
and have the attitude of “I’ll try anything (most anything!) once.” But in December I was in a really scary car accident,
and as a result, I’ve been a little fearful about driving. My car was totaled
when I spun on an icy highway, hit the median and ended up facing on-coming
traffic … so it’s not surprising that I would be less than eager to drive,
especially on the highway at night. Of course, feeling a little shaken up after
such an experience is natural, but my fear went even deeper than getting behind
the wheel.
Though I was fortunate to walk away from the accident with
nothing more than a few scrapes from the airbag, the thought of what could have happened was perhaps the
scariest part. I very easily could have been hit head-on by the cars behind me.
In fact, this accident has been the first time I’ve really been aware of my own
mortality and how easily my life could have ended that night.
Not wanting to let this fear rule my life, I’ve been asking
the Lord to help me not be afraid. The Bible has a lot to tell us about fear,
so I’ve been reminding myself of a few Scriptures. But more than that, I’m reminding myself that God can be trusted
with everything, even my very life. This idea is so basic to Christianity, yet
often my faith is not tested in such a way that I really have to act on this
belief.
It seems to me
that when God tells us to “fear not” in the Bible, it’s followed by some
promise of His presence. Isaiah 41:10, for example: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I
will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right
hand.” I know this truth in my head,
but really believing it and letting the truth take root in my heart has been
the challenge. But His presence is enough. Enough for whatever I may face, no
matter what.
Now before I go all Debbie Downer in this post, there
is a positive result of being reminded how fragile our lives are. It’s a
reminder that this world is not our home — that something better, something right is on the other side. The fear,
the pain, the struggles that we each face will be no more. The promise of
heaven really does mean we don’t have to fear anything, not even death.
So tomorrow I’ll get in my car, take a deep
breath, and remember that God is with me, and because He is enough, I don’t have
to be afraid. I’m so glad I can rest in this security, aren’t you?
