And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
Matthew 8:26
The youngest came to me with furrowed brows, wearing more concern than clothes. It took me a minute to see what he saw. He pointed under the azalea, but still, I didn’t know what I was looking for, and he didn’t know what to tell me that it was. A snake? I certainly didn’t want to get too close.
And then I saw it. A beautiful, camouflaged moth.
Despite my efforts to assure him that it was safe—no stinger!—and only wanted to sleep, he abandoned his outside play. Really? I asked. You’re going to set aside the fun of building a worm hotel on the driveway because it’s within ten feet of the azalea bush that is the current home of a harmless moth?
Perspective is everything, and to a five-year-old, that strange insect was the cause of concern. No matter how I framed the situation, we saw different pictures. He saw a threat. I saw a cool science opportunity.
What sort of things cause me to fear that are actually—in the perspective of my heavenly Father—harmless?
Without belittling the fears of my son, I must admit, I was frustrated with him. He didn’t need to fear, but I couldn’t convince him of that.
Friends, you know the analogy here. Let’s ask some simple questions and let the Lord speak:
Are you abandoning something that God is calling you to because of fear?
Are you perceiving danger in something when there is none?
Or maybe there is danger, but you need to trust God’s unlimited perspective?
Is fear robbing you from what might be an avenue for joy?
What questions do you see in this analogy?