Perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)
Teenagers are typically known for being fearless, often for all the wrong reasons. However, my best friend, Logan, and I were not in that class to any degree. Our mothers often relay stories about how they never worried about us growing up because of our timid personalities. But after we were in a car accident, an onset of overwhelming fear entered my life. For years moving forward, I would find it hard to travel, especially in bad weather.
A mentor in my life approached me about the anxiousness I was facing one day and whether I had brought this fear to God. At first, I thought she was overcomplicating the situation; it seemed like such a small issue compared to other parts of life I was praying over at the time. But our conversation humbled me. Why hadn’t I thought to pray over my fear?
Sure enough, as I began taking a newfound seriousness in bringing my anxieties to God, he started giving peace back to me. It is easy to buy into the lie that certain parts of our lives do not matter to God, that he should only be bothered with the “big things,” but the truth is that God, in his love for us, desires for our hearts to be freed from any and all fears we hold.
Allow God to work in all aspects of your life.
Shannon Nickerson is a recent graduate from Kingswood University, and current multimedia coordinator at her local church. She enjoys photography, teaching, and graphic design.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
