Fear…or Faith?

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…” *

Fear is an unwanted visitor that seems to come knocking at the door all hours of the day and night. For example, when Al and I first started learning how to play pickle ball, I sat on the bench for the longest time, fearful that I was going to make a fool of myself in front of the other pickle ball players. Al, on the other hand, was eager to get out on the court and try it. That first game was scary; but it turned out to be fun and a better experience than I had expected.

The same thing happened with the arrival of my new sewing machine. There were so many models with all kinds of features that it had been difficult choosing one that wasn’t too complicated. However, upon unpacking the new machine, I realized that it was much more high-tech than my twenty-plus year old one.

 Well, sewing like nearly everything else, has changed in the last twenty years!

This model did everything with a touch of the button. Press one button to make the needle go up and down; press another to make it go in reverse… It would even thread the needle for me. Now that seemed like a nice feature for someone with aging eyesight!

After taking it out of the box, I spent an hour or so learning how to put thread on the bobbin and how to do the rest of the threading process. The automatic needle threader was more complicated than it appeared to be in the manual. So, I finally gave up on that and managed to put the thread through the eye of the needle by hand with a lot of squinting through my bifocals!

The new sewing machine sat on my desk for the longest time. My old one was much easier to use, familiar and simple…but broken beyond repair. Even though my friend assured me that there was a greater likelihood of putting the needle through my finger than damaging the newer model, I still was afraid of breaking it. Oh, and the thought of the needle through the finger didn’t help either!

The urge to start sewing again finally motivated me to give it another try. After a lot more time and patience, I was able to thread the needle using the automatic feature. All ten fingers were okay, thankfully!

Once the top thread and the bobbin thread were ready to go, the machine operated like a dream. I only had time to do some mending before having to stop and get ready for bed, however. Not good to start on sewing projects so late at night! At least I had a little more confidence when using it. Hopefully after watching the instructional DVD, re-reading the manual and more practice, my new machine will become easier to use.

Fear has also come knocking on the door in the form of worry over the current pandemic. Most of my other fears seem mild in comparison! I even had my first coronavirus nightmare a few nights ago.  It has been hard trusting God with the lives of our loved ones as well as our own well-being in the midst of uncertainty and confusion. And just how far should we go in trying to be germ free?

When our young neighbor fell off her scooter and skinned her knee, I was even hesitant to help her because of the current “social distancing” rules.  Once restrictions are lifted and we are able to move about freely again, will we be afraid to leave our houses, to approach people or have them talk face to face with us? Will we be worried about shaking hands, hugging…?  

What should we do when the future seems uncertain and dark? Fear seems to paralyze us so that we cannot move forward. Yet we know that Jesus, our good Shepherd, came to bring us peace and to guide us through valleys shrouded by shadows of death to a better place, to green meadows and quiet waters. Jesus understands all of our fears.

Dear Father, we know that you are with us always. Please forgive us for letting fear and doubt creep into our thoughts. Help us to love you and trust you more each day. Thank you for Jesus, our good Shepherd; thank you for peace. We love you!

*Psalm 23:4a NIV