“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 ESV

Facing the Fire

Walk His Way Revisited

Something came to mind last week, something I hadn’t thought of in years. My mother had a fear of fire; in particular, house fires. When I was seven, we moved into a mobile home, and her fears escalated, because mobiles burn very quickly.

Not long after we’d moved in, I answered a knock at the door, and found a fireman standing there. My mother had contacted the fire department, and they sent him out to educate our family on fire safety. He taught us about smoke detectors (they weren’t the norm in households yet), and where to place them. He told us that practicing family fire drills was very important: know your escape routes, and make sure everyone knows where to meet. He also recommended having fire extinguishers, so we got two. One was in the kitchen, and one in the back hallway, where all the kids’ bedrooms were located. Mom was diligent in making sure the batteries in the smoke detectors were fresh, and she would do the yearly check on the fire extinguishers to make sure all was in working order. She and my dad devised the escape route, and we had fire drills. We were ready!

One morning, I woke up to a weird chemical smell. I went into the kitchen, and there was white stuff everywhere. Sure enough, there had been a cooking fire that got out of control, but because my Mom had prepared, she was able to remain calm and put out that fire.

What struck me about the memory is the way my Mom dealt with her fear. She didn’t cave into it. She faced it head on, and figured out a way to be prepared, which eventually turned out to be beneficial. Had she caved in to that fear, things would have turned out very differently the morning of that cooking fire.

This got me thinking about all the things I am afraid of, and how often I cower instead of facing them. Scriptures tell us that God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7), but I sure have managed to find enough to be fearful of on my own!

Usually, as we get older, we joke about how we are turning into our mothers, and do our best to not do so—but in this case, I think I’d like to be more like my Mom. I’ve got some fears that need facing.

Father, we know that fear is not of You, and we thank You for giving us Your Word, which equips us to face our fears. When we’re feeling fearful, may our first response be that we turn to You. We love You, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.