Fear Not! "Oh, Daddy..."

This will be a short post, but thought it was worth sharing.

Well, here's another priceless gem from my youngest daughter. This morning at breakfast, it was just me, Megan, and Elaine (my wife). The other two kids were sleeping in a bit. Megan was in a talkative mood, which isn't uncommon anytime of the day. But today she was obsessed with talking about what would happen if an intruder were to try and break into our house. She kept going on and on about it, but then she paused and took a few bites of her soggy cereal while Elaine and I had a chance to chat.

After a minute or so, Megan motioned to Elaine like she was going to whisper something to her, but before Elaine could lean over Megan said, "I know what I would say to that man if he tried to get into our house."

"What would you say?" I asked.

Megan threw her head back, stuck out her chest, put her hands boldly on her hips, and proclaimed in a sing-songy voice, "Don't be afraid, FEAR NOT!" with extra special emphasis on the "fear not" part. I smiled a big smile, and was about to tell her what a great idea that was, when she immediately curled up a bit, squinted her eyes almost in a smile, and said sheepishly, "And then I'd say, 'Oh, Daddy.'" Elaine and I burst out laughing, before we went on to tell her what a great idea that was.

Isn't that just how we are sometimes with God and the struggles and fears we face in our lives? We begin to obsess over the things that frighten us, events that haven't even happened yet. God patiently stands nearby as we try to quietly figure it all out on our own. Then, when we think we have a profound answer, even an answer that sounds good and "Christian," we puff out our chest, kick back our head, and boldly proclaim how strong we would be in the face of those fears. Yet, just as quickly as we declare our fearlessness, we realize that our fears can only be relieved when we call out, "Oh, Daddy..."

How good it is to know that our Father in heaven hears our cries, understands our fears, and will embrace us and protect us, even when we attempt to overcome them on our own. And how thankful I am to have a daughter who regularly illustrates these truths to my simple mind...

Calling out to Daddy,

jonathan