Fear. It’s so easy to have but yet so crippling. Faith. It’s so hard to have but yet so healing.
When we first heard about the coronavirus, we weren’t too worried about it. We were on our last day of vacation and didn’t want to be consumed with reality quite yet. We both said that we would worry about it when we got back to Panama City.
When we came back to “reality” and realized there was no milk, diapers, or wipes to be found, that’s when panic started to creep in. Ok, it didn’t creep in, it hit us like a 100mph fastball. We weren’t ready for what was about to hit us. The funny thing is, we could care less about not having toilet paper or paper towels. Our fear was for the needs of our 20 month old daughter.
For me, the fear was paralyzing. I wanted to buy everything that was left on the shelves. Phil, the more level-headed one in our marriage, had to knock some sense into me. He kept telling me that we were doing the best we could. When he said that to me in the middle of Walmart, I realized that we had been preparing for this the wrong way. “WE were doing the best WE could.” We had placed our faith in ourselves as Magnolia’s parents, instead of placing our faith in Christ. We had taken everything upon ourselves and took our eyes off Him.
It was in that moment that God really spoke to us. We were reminded of the verse He has constantly brought to our minds since a year and a half ago when our daughter was born with medical complications. Jeremiah 29:11. “For I KNOW the plans I have for you DECLARES the Lord. Plans to keep you, and prosper you, and plans to not harm you and plans to give you a future.” Standing in the middle of Walmart, watching everyone panic around us, we had to make a choice. Were we going to trust God completely with our daughters life, or were we going to rely on ourselves?
Through this new season and in quarantine, we had to make a choice as parents. Were we going to allow fear to cripple us and let it control how we run our family, or were we going to allow our faith in Jesus be our focus and foundation for our family? So many of you may find yourself just like us. Wondering if faith over fear is worth it. In 2nd Timothy, Paul tells us that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear. He has given us power, love, and a sound mind. Yes, we still follow all the quarantine rules and wash our hands and sanitize all the things. However, we have realized that we don’t have to live in fear or in panic mode. We have realized that if our God can conquer the grave and death, He will defeat anything this world throws at us! As a family, it has given us so much peace to know that Christ is with us, fighting this battle along side us. When we feel alone, we know that He is there, standing with us in this fire.
By: Philip Mallory, City Church Member
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