Facing Fears and Giants with the Strength of God

We’ve been dealing with a lot of fear in our house lately. 

Fear of strangers.

Fears of shadows. 

Fear of things that go “bump” in the night.
Fear of new people and places. 

All normal fears for toddlers, yes. The hook in this story though is this: I’m a mom with anxiety. I know all about fear. It’s a language I am fluent in.

I know how your imagination can take over and play out all kinds of what-if scenarios. 

I know how a strange noise in the night can then make you believe there is danger lurking outside your bedroom door. 

I know how hard it is to face fear every day. And if I’m being honest, I sometimes wonder if I’m passing my fears on to my kids. 

If Mommy’s overprotectiveness with strangers has instilled some fear. (And yes, there is such a thing as “good” fear to some extent . . . especially in the world we’re living in these days.)

If Mommy’s desire to sleep with the lights on in the house at night has contributed to the fear of shadows and nighttime. 

If Mommy’s anxiety is, well, making my kids anxious as well. 

But then I remember my son’s favorite story in the Bible–David and Goliath. David, who was just a small guy facing a giant with stone. If there’s anything I want my kids to take away from that story, it’s that God helps us face our fears and conquer them.  

Because it’s by God’s strength that I turn it over to Him and trust Him when my anxiety gets triggered. 

It’s with God’s peace, I am able to rest my head every night and shut my eyes because He never slumbers. 

It’s with God that all things are possible–including living with anxiety.

And if there’s anything I want my kids to take away from Mommy’s anxiety, it’s that. I want them to look at me and see that living with anxiety makes me turn to Him more. 

I always want them to know that fear may be a part of life in this world, but to take heart because He has already overcome this world.