Pastor’s Pen: Let God help you overcome your fears

By Rev Nigel BaylorAbout a year ago our grandson Jake received a nasty scratch from our cat, Elsa, and was needless to say very distressed. After that he developed a phobia every time he entered our house and would not come in the door unless he was sure that Elsa was not there or was out of the house. This became a big problem as Jake became extremely nervous to the point of being paranoid about Elsa.

His very wise mother, Grace, our daughter, thought of a solution. She decided to buy a kitten for her home and gave Jake the job of caring for this kitten called Theodore. Right from the start Jake loved Theodore and was very concerned about his wellbeing and looked after him with the help of his parents. The end result was that, in due course, Jake’s fear of our cat, Elsa, disappeared. I could see him totally at ease with his kitten, lifting him and taking care of him without fear and being totally relaxed with our cat.

I believe that this helps us to see that it is by facing our fears, we can overcome them. We often run away from our fears but they do not go away.

One of the most powerful phrases which Jesus used after his resurrection was: “Do not be afraid”. Even before he died he said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

We can face the future and whatever our fears are if we learn to share them with the Lord and those whom we can trust.

A very wise aunt of mine, now in heaven, once said to me: “You have nothing to fear but fear itself.” As I have gone through life I have found that it is in facing my fears that I have grown as a person. When we bring our fears out in the open they can be dealt with. When we hide them away they fester.

A wise Christian once said: “What is in the dark belongs to Satan but when we bring things out into the light God can deal with them.”

Jesus once said: “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.”

We can thank God that He is always there to help us when we share our fears with Him and allow Him to take them on His shoulders.