I remember the nightlight in the bedroom that my little sister and I shared. With five kids, it was helpful that the two youngest could share a room. I loved that blue bedroom. The carpet was dark blue, so my mom made the best of it and sewed matching blue bedspreads and curtains. Underneath my little vanity table was a nightlight. We could not sleep without it. I wasn’t a huge fan of the nightlight, but my sister was afraid of the dark, so I tolerated the light.
It’s funny how during the day our room was so cheery, with our stuffed animals and toys. It was a happy spot where we played and created make believe worlds. At night, the room could appear scary. The exact same room that we were in just hours before, happily playing, became a fearful place in the dark. As soon as we switched our nightlight on, everything was OK.
That tiny little light illuminated all the shadows and possible monsters. Suddenly, we saw our stuffed animals smiling back at us. We could sleep in peace. The exact same space in the dark and the light, appeared completely different at night in our little kid brains. That’s where imagination takes off. Those creative ideas we had during the day for play, became the stuff of potential nightmares at night.
We live in a time of great fear. With so much knowledge at our fingertips, maybe too much, fear can take hold. Some of those fears are legimate and some are not. I like to call it the “What if?” scenario.
What if I lose my job?
What if I lose my spouse?
What if I get hurt?
What if I get into an accident?
What if I get cancer?
What if … (fill in the blank)
What if. What if. What if.
All of those unknowns are in the dark. We can’t see the possible danger, but we can create potential negative outcomes in our head. Jesus is the light. We must follow Him and go where He leads as He lights our path. We don’t have to know everything, but we can fully trust the One who does.
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12, ESV)
How much do we actually have control over? Not much. I can control me and my repsonse to situations, circumstances, and people. As Christians we can fully rely on our savior, Jesus. He is my constant in the fear. He is the solid Rock. My foundation is sure in Christ. No matter the fear. No matter the “What if”. No matter the pain. No matter the trouble. No matter the trial.
Jesus is my protector.
Jesus is my provider.
Jesus is my comforter.
Jesus is my savior.
Jesus is my peace.
The opposite of fear is peace. I can have peace in storms, trials, and heartaches.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27, NIV)
Jesus gives us peace. He does not give us worry. He does not give us fear. He does not give us fret. The peace Jesus gives is not based on circumstances. Jesus’ peace is based on Him.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, KJV)
You may be struggling with fear. It’s gripped you and there seems no way out. There is good news for you! There is a way out. Jesus is reaching out to you. He will carry you until you are strong enough to walk on your own. He can set you free from the fear. Give it all to Him, The Prince of Peace.
Love you all,
Meghan
Heavenly Father,
We come boldly to your throne of grace. We need your peace in this crazy, broken world. Keep our eyes and hearts fixed on you. For all of those gripped with fear, may your perfect peace bring comfort and hope. Help us to follow your light, Jesus, where there is no darkness. We thank you and praise you!
Amen
Please send me an email if you need prayer!
- Photo by Tobias Bjørkli on Pexels.com
Meghan E White 
Good thoughts!
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Thank you Mary! I hope you are doing well.
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So true Megan many times we allow negative thoughts and we picture the outcomes when we should be focusing on what Christ is saying about us. I do understand about the shadows from the toys in the night that create a lot of imagination and sometimes fears. Sometimes we make joke about it too
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It’s so easy to think the worst and worry. I’ve spent many years being a great worrier. It’s taken Jesus love and grace to teach me not to wory. Thanks Maurice! God bless you.
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You are welcome Megan. I have been in the same situation. It is Jesus Christ that makes the difference. when he guide us in His word we will discover the lies of the enemy that cause us to worry.
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Only Jesus can truly set us free from the fear and worry. Amen brother!
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Yes the all-powerful God can.
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Meghan! So beautifully written and absolutely true! I was just writing an article the other day my latest blog which gets into political turmoil but I had touched on this very subject and how we as imperfect humans have built in weaknesses that we can allow to get the better of us or we can override them and of course Jesus will always be the best means to accomplishing that! I had said, “Like when someone sneaks up from behind and says BOO, we always jump or flinch, and even the fear of being alone in the dark which happens to all of us growing up thinking we see a monster in the closet at night or that a shadow is something more than that!” Yes Meghan me and my sisters all had these same experiences you and your sister had! I love how you reflected on the past this way but brought Jesus and His word into perspective in order to show the power of faith in Him to overcome!
I’m a little under the weather here so I will come back to this wonderful explanation you put together here and reflect more upon it later! Thank you and God bless you and yours. Amen.
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I will have to read your recent post. Great minds think alike. I’m glad you can relate to my childhood nightlight experiences. Thanks so much for your kind comments. I really appreciate your support. I’m so sorry you’re not feeling well. I hope and pray you feel better soon.
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Thank you so much Meghan, you’re so kind and such a wonderful Lady! Yes I do relate very well to all of what you said, as our minds as well as hearts are attuned to the same important things! And I traveled back in my thoughts to my childhood clearly remembering exactly what you described in your childhood. I woke in the middle of the night with a mild distress in my chest, I think due to a low grade lingering cold, but I had thought about your article while I went to sleep and then again when I woke and so here is some additional commentary for you and your readers, I hope it helps.
Relentless fear leads to a self-fulfilling prophesy of whatever one fears becoming true, as the old saying goes “you brought it on yourself.” We can be our own worst enemy allowing negativity to creep into our hearts and cripple us, to live as failed and lost, letting go of our hope and promise that our Lord brought to us when He took our places on that cross, that single most important act carried out on earth wiped away all of our tears, worries and fears! The enemy wants us to fail so if we allow him the opportunity to convince us that we have something to fear and that we are doomed, he will work that fear until we’re are living as losers without hope or direction. Which is contrary to what Jesus told us and He said not to fear He is always with us, to allow Him into our hearts and have faith in Him alone, so that we walk with Him as He holds our right hand without any fear; as He leads the way. Because we are victorious when we do this, as He leads us to victory and everlasting life which nothing can take away, by our having an abiding faith in Him. He is our Rock and Fortress to protect us until we join Him in His everlasting glory and peace in heaven. Thank you Meghan; for this lovely offering of truth and insight, giving us the opportunity to reflect as we continue to discern the truth that our Savior Christ Jesus has provided to us through our faith in Him.
God Bless You and Yours.
Lawrence
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Wow! Great insight. That’s very helpful. I agree that we can be our own worst enemy allowing negativity to rule our hearts and minds. We really have to fight those thoughts with the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and the faith God has given each of us. Thanks again Lawrence, for your encouragement and comments. God Bless you!
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Perfect Meghan! I’m glad I was helpful even a smidgen, but you said it true! Those three paramount keys to God’s Salvation are what we all need; Faith, His word and the Holy Spirit in order to meet all life’s challenges, and with those we are going to make it! Thank you again Meghan, for bringing this to our attention, you did a very good thing! God Bless You!
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Aaaaww, you’re too kind. Thanks so much!
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You are Meghan; all well deserved! 🙏 🤗
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What a wonderful blog, Meghan. Just what we need in this present time of uncertainty with the news spreading fear into our hearts. God expects us to take care of ourselves in the best way we can, but after that, we must trust Him to do what we can’t. And that includes taking care of the future.
For years, I’ve been reminded in church and elsewhere not to worry about the things that are out of our control. If we worry about something that “may” happen, and it doesn’t, we’ve wasted all that time and energy on what could have been instead of attending to what is. God has us. He loves his children who have come to Him and accepted Jesus as their Savior. Those who have given their hearts and lives to Him. If anything does happen, He has a purpose in it, even if we can’t see it.
Trust in God, for He’s promised in his Word, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
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You are right, Sharon. What a waste of time and energy worrying about what may happen. I’ve definitely been guilty of that. God does have a purpose in whatever comes our way. I love that verse in Philippians. It’s one of my favorites. Thank you, Sharon!
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