Faith Over Fear Devotion
Why are you afraid? Take a moment and ask yourself.
There are many reasons I find myself afraid: spiders, snakes, bats, my loved ones’ safety, COVID-19, failing at something, rejection, what might happen tomorrow, the list could go on and on! I could occupy all of my thoughts with things that I am afraid of. It could quite literally be all consuming.
I know many people who are afraid. Those who don’t know which way to turn next because life is so uncertain right now. Those who let fear consume their lives. I’ll admit, I sometimes want to let it. I want to stop doing all of the things that terrify me and live in a bubble. I want my worry, my anxiety, and my fear to be gone. However, that is not a reality. Even if I lived in a bubble, I am certain that I would find other things to worry about, that my fears and my anxieties would still consume me. I would still live in darkness.
Instead of living in fear, God calls us to live in faith. That does not mean that we will never be afraid, but it means that when those fears come, we face them, we name them, and then we give them to God. It means that we ask God for help. We set our eyes on Jesus, the one who has lifted us out of the darkness into his marvelous light. We shift our focus from the shadows to the Shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd … Even though I walk through valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me (Psalm 23:1,4).
God is asking for us to do something great, possibly greater than anything we’ve done before: to depend on him completely. We have a choice, we can fall back on our fears and stay where we are, or we can step forward in faith, knowing that God is ready to walk beside us.
As we move into the 2020-2021 school year, there are so many uncertainties about what everything will look like. Things will look different. But as we move forward, we do so in faith, knowing that God is by our side. He will never leave us or forsake us.
We are so thankful you have chosen to walk with us during this school year. I am thankful that we have the opportunity to be together and to share God’s love with you. We will need to be flexible this year, but please know that we are here to support you, care for you, and love you through it all. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid (Psalm 118:6).
In Christ,
Kendra Gilmore, Principal/Teacher