Facing Fears, Trusting God

For me, watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” is as much a rite of fall as carving a pumpkin or feeling that first snap of cool autumn air. There’s just something about these little traditions—they have a way of rooting themselves in your memory.

As a kid, Halloween meant dressing up in the absolute cheesiest costumes that fifty-nine cents could buy at the Ben Franklin store. Usually, that meant a thin smock tied in the back and a molded plastic mask held by a rubber band and two staples. We thought we looked spectacular, but in hindsight, those getups were downright laughable. Even Dracula and Frankenstein seemed more silly than scary.

These days, I walk into Halloween pop-up stores filled with all kinds of costumes—some cute, some inspired by decades of horror movies. Even as an adult, I’ll admit that a few of those masks and displays still make me pause. It’s all foam and rubber, but the effect can get under your skin.

Thinking back, the scariest thing for me was always the Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz.” That menacing green face, pointed nose, and sinister laugh still send chills down my spine. Nothing on TV ever made me as scared as she did.

Of course, real fear looks different as you grow up. Shortly after we married, my wife was diagnosed with a tumor at just twenty. Years later, I was a full-time college student with three kids and a mortgage payment. Most months, we were one or two payments behind. Our grocery budget some weeks was less than twenty dollars. There were many nights I paced the house, unable to sleep, afraid of what the next day would bring. I wanted to trust God, but it wasn’t always easy not knowing how things would work out.

It reminds me of Moses at the burning bush, asking God, “How do I know it’s really you sending me?” God’s answer always humbles me—He told Moses, “You’ll know it’s me when you worship with the people at this mountain.” In other words, sometimes God doesn’t reveal Himself until we’re looking backwards at how far we’ve come. Every time that happens, it reminds me to trust Him a little more the next time.

Tonight, when I see my grandsons dressed up as Mario and Luigi, I’ll see more than just impressive costumes. In many ways, those boys are a living reminder of all the times God has cared for us and brought us through difficulties—a joyful symbol of how far He has carried our family, year after year.

I know some of you may be facing fears and doubts even as you read this. I’d encourage you to hold onto this verse, just as I did in some of my most difficult times:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
—1 Peter 5:6–7

May you sense His care in whatever you’re facing today, and find hope looking back on how far He’s brought you, too.

—-

. . . and that’s what I know today.