Swimming With the Sharks

This past weekend our family went for a visit to a local "Tropicarium". There were monkeys and birds, alligators and snakes, and many sea creatures. They had a large tank with a tunnel which you could walk through that made you feel as though you were in the bottom of the ocean. Inside there were several moderately sized sharks. I have to admit, every time I see a shark up close I realize how very impressive they are. Generally speaking, these encounters do not encourage me to go swimming anywhere near the ocean. It does seem silly to fear such a minor threat, but none the less, the fear is there.

I suppose in life there are many more things we could justify fearing. Carter is more than happy to share with us at bedtime all his various fears. Dinosaurs outside the window, lions in the closet, strangers peering in from the dark....his imagination can run wild. The truth is, I have real fears too. Not of dinosaurs or creatures under my bed, but fears like "failure," "disappointment," "conflict" or "pain". Often in my Christian walk, I find these fears have been the sole reason for my lack of action in the cause for Christ.

As often does, God taught me a lesson through a simple conversation with Carter about one of his fears. He was sharing with us about his fear of the dark one night on the way home in the car. "You don't have to fear anything, Carter..." I told him "because Jesus is always with us and helps us to not be afraid."

Do I live like I have nothing to fear? That isn't to say I want to go swimming with the sharks, but I do know that Christ offers us peace and security even in times of fear and that He empowers us with courage through the Holy Spirit to go boldly into the world.

Acts 4:31 "...And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."