Fear

Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3).

In the days when barn-storming pilots traveled around the country, a flier at a county fair was offering to take passengers up for a ride. A young farmer urged his father give it a try. "Flying is great, Dad!" he said. "You’ll love seeing the farm from the air!" Reluctantly, the older man climbed into the open seat behind the pilot, put on the goggles offered to him, and fastened the safety belt. After getting directions from the son, the aviator took his biplane into the air with a roar and headed out towards the family farm. After about ten minutes, pilot and passenger returned safely to the ground. The young farmer ran up to his dad and cried out, "See, wasn’t that great?" The older man admitted, "Seeing the farm from the air was pretty special." Then, looking at his white-knuckled hands which were still clutching the bottom of the seat, he added, "the problem was, I just couldn’t let go!"

So it is with us. We go through many times in life when things seem very insecure and beyond our control. We hang on for dear life, wondering how much longer the terror will last, hoping that everything will turn out okay. And because we are so frightened, it is hard to appreciate the good things that surround us.

When you were a baby, not much frightened you so long as you were safely in the arms of mom or dad. It never ceases to amaze me how effective a mother’s kiss can be in making an ‘owie’ all better. A baby isn’t concerned about where the next meal is coming from. A baby doesn’t worry about having clothes to wear or a place to sleep. As long as that baby has a loving, responsible parent, all is right with the world.

God is our loving, responsible Father. When we are baptized, He adopts us into His family and pledges to take care of us. He wants us to trust Him the way a baby finds peace and security in a parent’s loving arms. This is why Jesus said, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. When we trust our heavenly Father with a child-like faith, we can let go of our worries and enjoy the good things all around us. God is with us wherever we are, watching and helping and protecting us. There is no reason to let fear steal the joy from your life.