Introduction

 

Fear Not…

When I was a child, night was hard for me.  It was dark.  It was quiet.  My imagination would swirl around in my head, morphing shadows into monsters and creaks into whispers.

As I grew up, I overcame that fear of the night (mostly).  My imagination wasn’t able to trick me any longer.  I had put to rest the myth of the boogeyman.  I learned that houses “settle” and those supposed voices were nothing more than the wind howling through the trees or the air conditioner kicking on.

I overcame that fear… but, not all of them.  In fact, as I grew, new fears found their way into me.  They settled into my heart and my mind, and they started to affect not only my nights, but my days as well. 

What are your fears?...  We all have them… some stuffed so far down in us that we have now seemingly covered them with pretty clothes, a fancy job, a busy schedule, or the simple belief that we have it all under control.  Ah yes, as adults, we learn to mask our fears, or deceive ourselves into thinking we no longer have them.

The LORD God is intentional when He speaks.  He does not give us a command that we do not need.  So, when we read, over and over again, “Do not fear…” it is because He is the God who wants us to acknowledge that we have them… so that, through Him, we can overcome.

As you read the words of our fellow Grace loved ones during this Advent season, may you reach deep into the hidden places of your heart, acknowledge your fears, and lay them at the feet of the Prince of Peace.  He is with you, and mighty to save.

With Utmost Joy, Danielle & the Grace Staff