“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”  Even if you aren’t a baseball fan, you can still appreciate the power of those words, and the key word is “fear.”  How often do we allow our fears to dictate how we respond to our lives?  Under our current situation with the Covid-19 virus impacting everything from spring and fall sports to basically everything we do, it’s no wonder that we find ourselves in a bit of a fearful state of mind.

A child can be fearful of the darkness of the night, needing a night lite to keep their room illuminated.  Adults find themselves fearful of the future, not having a paycheck, the loss of a job, uncertainty of their own health.  The Bible tells us, in Proverbs 29:25, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”  Fear can be such a powerful emotion that we can become paralyzed, not able to move forward, and yet if we put our faith and trust in the Lord, He will calm those fears.

Fear of the unknown, fear that you will not succeed, fear that you will fail, we wrestle with fear knowing that it isn’t a healthy emotion and yet it is one that can be debilitating if we let it.  What frightens you the most today?  It’s ok to acknowledge that fear, but we are called to “fear not”, don’t be afraid, God is with you.

 I recently watched as a parent tried to coax their child to jump into a swimming  pool.  Fear of the cold water, and fear of the parent not catching the child was every present on the child’s face.  Of course the parent knew that the child would be safe, but it was very difficult to convince the child otherwise. 

Parenting is full of fearful situations, afraid that you aren’t holding your baby just right, afraid that the baby will start to cry at the moment you finally put your head down to rest, afraid  your child is not making new friends on their first day at school, afraid your child won’t get selected to the “elite” team, afraid of your child driving for the first time without you beside them at the wheel, afraid that social media is having a negative influence on your child, afraid as you await the medical report from the doctor, afraid of letting your child go. . . and the list goes on.  

Personally I’m finding myself in several of these fearful situations with our adult children and yet I know that the Bible tells us to “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  (1 Peter 5:7, NIV)  Just knowing that God really does care about every detail of my life gives me comfort.  

God cares so much for each of us and He has a plan and a purpose that does not include fear.  He wants us to keep playing the game and not be afraid of striking out.  Even if you do strike out, guess what? You get a chance to bat again, and isn’t that what life is all about, trying again and again until you hit a home run!  

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”  (Psalm 18:2)  Get into the game of life, cast all your fears and anxiety on the Lord Jesus Christ, step up to the plate and knock your fears out of the park.  Amen!