"Mama, there is something scary in here," he says, which has become his nightly declaration.
I'm not sure if he truly is scared or if this is one of his bedtime procrastination techniques, of which he has many. Regardless of his motivations, I must teach him what to do when he is afraid.
"What do you say when you are scared?" I ask.
"I don't know," he replies.
"You do know. You say Jesus. Go ahead say Jesus."
"I don't know how."
"Yes you do. Just repeat after me. I'm not afraid...because Jesus protects me...He is with me...Jesus."
As he repeats these words he begins to smile and giggle a little. When he finishes he sighs, ahhh. And it appears that all the fear is gone.
What struck me during this conversation was when he said I don't know how. I think to myself, what do you mean you don't know how to say Jesus? You can pronounce his name. I have heard you.
I think of my own fearful moments. I have been told that when I am frightened I should call on the name of Jesus. Just say his name. Yet, in the moment I'm not sure I know how. It becomes difficult to say his name. It seems weird to just call out his name even in the privacy of my own home. There is power in his name and I am reluctant to wield my weapon. I am reluctant to speak his words.
When I am fearful I must hear my father's words,
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
I'm not sure if he truly is scared or if this is one of his bedtime procrastination techniques, of which he has many. Regardless of his motivations, I must teach him what to do when he is afraid.
"What do you say when you are scared?" I ask.
"I don't know," he replies.
"You do know. You say Jesus. Go ahead say Jesus."
"I don't know how."
"Yes you do. Just repeat after me. I'm not afraid...because Jesus protects me...He is with me...Jesus."
As he repeats these words he begins to smile and giggle a little. When he finishes he sighs, ahhh. And it appears that all the fear is gone.
What struck me during this conversation was when he said I don't know how. I think to myself, what do you mean you don't know how to say Jesus? You can pronounce his name. I have heard you.
I think of my own fearful moments. I have been told that when I am frightened I should call on the name of Jesus. Just say his name. Yet, in the moment I'm not sure I know how. It becomes difficult to say his name. It seems weird to just call out his name even in the privacy of my own home. There is power in his name and I am reluctant to wield my weapon. I am reluctant to speak his words.
When I am fearful I must hear my father's words,
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
I must remember that he has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)
I must remember that when I ask the Lord, he hears me, and delivers me from all my fears (Psalm 34:4)
Yes, when I pray, when I call out, just like I instructed Quinn to do, he frees me from all my fears. And I can begin to giggle and breath easy in the peace that he gives.
A side note:
Most of you have stumbled onto this blog from my Facebook status update. I will continue to let you know about new posts this way, but as many of you know Facebook doesn't always relay the message to your newsfeed. So if you would like a more reliable way of getting my updates then look on the right sidebar to the field that says follow by email. Just put you email in that little white box and you will begin receiving emails with the new posts. Not interested in subscribing? That's ok. I will try to post once a week, probably on Friday. Thanks, my friends!
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