Saturday Story Time – Jimbob, Sometimes I am…Afraid

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 CSB

Today I am starting a series of Jimbob Rabbit stories dealing with emotions which children may face. I call the series “Sometimes I am…” My goal is to help parents and their child to have a platform to talk about the issues and thoughts they may be having. Don’t be surprised if you have some of the same thoughts at different times. So I invite readers both young and old to listen to these children’s stories with a grown up message. Then, make a point to share with someone else what you learned and leave a comment. Let’s get started.

Being fearful of something falls into two large categories. Real fear and unreal fear. Real fear triggers the fight or flight mode as it should. If you hear the rattle of a snake, you are too close and need to run or get rid of it. That is a sane and healthy fear.

Unreal fear is the anxiety we feel about all of the unknowns in our lives. What’s gonna happen tomorrow? Will I have a job to feed my family? What if nobody likes me? Will I pass this class if I take it? 

These are not wrong questions, we are incapable of knowing for sure of the outcome. We make steps today so that we position ourselves to be ready. We work diligently at our job so there are fewer reasons to let us go and more reasons that we will be needed.

The problem is these unreal fears weigh us down. We call these “cares of the world” or anxiety. We take medicine and try other methods to deal with anxiety which impacts our minds and then emotions and body.

Isaiah pens God thoughts on how to deal with our fear and anxiety.

• Acknowledge His Presence. – do not fear, for I am with you.
  • It doesn’t matter how deep the valley is, how long the valley is, how unfair it is that you are in the valley…when you realize that Jesus is in the valley with you. His presence changes everything
• Adoption has its Perks – Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
  • When you became a follower of Jesus, you were adopted as a child into the family of God.
  • As his child, you are heir to ALL of His love, care and promises.
  • There are favorites – you are one of them.
• Access His Provision.
  • I will strengthen you.
    • God will help give you the right thoughts
    • God will strengthen your body for right actions
      • Get good sleep, eat healthy, exercise
      • Engage toward the fear…have the conversation, deal with the bills, etc.
  • I will help you
    • Philippians 4:6-9 – God’s peace will guard hearts and mind. 
    • God’s peace with grateful expressions pushes anxiety away.
  • I will hold onto you
    • God has promised to never, ever leave you alone. He will not start now. AND He never breaks his promise.  
    • God is stronger than ANY issue which you are facing. He will hold on.

Unreal fear begins to lose its grip when the thought comes into the light of conversation. Make sure you listen to your children and others about the fears they are having. It may not be a fear to you…BUT it is real to them. Listening and validating that they are afraid helps them to begin to take the thoughts captive into God’s solutions. This is also true of adult conversations with a friend. Access God’s lane for mental health.

Being fearful is not wrong or a sign of weakness…staying fearful is the trap. God comes to us with His presence. In His presence is fullness of joy.

Memorize and meditate on Isaiah 41:10. There is a message in it for the masses and especially our children.

Blessings Love y’all