Fear and faith cannot coexist

Fear and faith cannot coexist

We cannot confess our love for the Lord Jesus Christ and still be fearful. 

But we do.

As mothers we fear (and worry) way too much.

We are fearful about the world our children are living in, we worry about their health, their education, we fear for their future, we fear for their safety.

In fact many mothers will worry about things that doesn't  even exist.

We are experts at generating our own fears. 

Even though we are told over and over again in the bible to TRUST IN THE LORD, we still worry and remain fearful.

Why . . . because for many mothers, it is very difficult to hand over one's problems to the Lord and let go. But this is what we need to do . . .  MUST do.

Our children might trip and fall. They might even get sick. They might eat things they shouldn't, they might break an arm, they might do things we don't like. But these are all part of growing up.

We cannot wrap our children in cotton-wool. 

In fact not only is this fear unhealthy for us as mothers, we are damaging our children in the long term. Our fear of "what-ifs" can result in restricting our children — not letting them run and play in case something happens. Not letting them form friendships in case they meet someone unsuitable.  Not telling them about the facts-of-life in case they become promiscuous. Not letting them make decisions and learning from them.

I grew up in the 1970s. My mother let my brothers and I run all over our farm. As long as we were back in time for lunch and dinner she was happy for us to explore. We played in the creeks (I loved catching tabpoles), my brothers made dams, we climbed fences and trees and rolled down hills — we were children and life was good.  I sometimes came home with scratches from tumbles, I even saw snakes (almost stepped on a few too) but none of these things were reasons to stop us being children. My mother never dreamed of restricting our outdoor time or making sure we stayed close to the house just in case something happened.

The idea of the helicopter parenting didn't exist in the past. This is a modern phenomenon and one that is not healthy or wise. I am so thankful my parents didn't hover over my every movement and allowed me to trip and fall — those childhood stumbles are what makes us strong and resilient. It teaches us to get up when we fall down and not give up.

As Christians we must not fear — fear is not acceptable because it means we are not trusting in the Lord, Satan has taken hold and weakening our faith. We will face various trails as parents but each one should bring us closer to God and further and further away from fear. 

My son has a motorbike, its big, black and powerful. There are moments when I become fearful of "what might happen" but I keep on reminding myself that God is watching over him and whatever does happens, it is in Gods hands. We must find a "quiet peace" through every situation we face and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding which will guard our heats and minds  through Christ Jesus  (Philippians 4:7).

I have had many fearful moments with my children (I know what panic is when things go pear-shaped), but facing fear head-on (with God) makes us stronger and builds our faith. In fact I think we all need to tackle our fears (rather than hiding) as it is through these trails we grow in Christ and we see Him working in our lives.

When we feel as if fear is taking grip of us, we need to spend time in prayer and quiet worship with our Heavenly Father, as even in the darkest hour, He is ALWAYS with us.

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

Psalm 56:3

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Links of interest:

Cutting the apron string — allowing your children to grow up, become independent and thrive

The ups and downs of motherhood

Don't be afraid of educating girls

All about praying

Be anxious about nothing — God is looking after you

Womens amazing strength, you can do this when God is in control