Good morning y’all. If you are reading through a Proverb a day, then today you would be on Proverbs 29. The 25th verse really stuck out to me this morning.

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

The reason this verse resonates with me, is because of the contradiction between my past and my current situation. For all of my adult life I have had to struggle financially. This is still true today. However, in the past I was also trying to provide a home for anywhere from 2-4 biological children and often some of their friends as well. This meant that I was solely responsible for making sure there was a roof over our heads, electricity to cook with, and food to eat. This was never an easy balance. So, I sometimes made dumb choices that came back to bite me in the end. I made these choices because I knew what could happen if any of these areas were lacking in our lives…CPS could and has been called (for other reasons that had nothing to do with me personally); children could be taken away, although this never actually happened, the fear was still there; etc… in short, I was afraid of how “Man” could possibly hurt me, although not physically, it would still leave an emotional scar on me and my children.

The difference between then and now… today I am only responsible for me. My youngest son still lives in the home, but he is an adult with a good paying job. So, if life would go drastically south, he would still land on his feet. Therefore, I no longer fear what “man” can do, at least not usually. This past week I had a fellow church member get mad at me and threaten my reputation at church. I knew these were empty threats and would never actually be carried out, but I let Satan get in my head and suddenly those old fears of how I might be hurt resurfaced. They came in a different form this time, but the result was the same. I was struggling against what the Bible tells me and what I was feeling. Oh, dear friends, feelings are so fleeting and can change with the weather. They are not reliable, but the word of God is. Trust what the Bible says.

Psalm 46:1-3–God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear. Even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.

I often wonder how my life might have been different had I clung to those verses years ago, instead of worrying about what other people might do that would cause me pain. What fears are you facing? Let me pray with you.