Shrieks of terror, that’s what pierced my ears from the other side of the park. There was no doubt in my mind. Without laying eyes on him, I knew it was my sweet boy, Isaac. I’m the mama. I just know these things.
And I recognized that scream. He had seen a carpenter bee.
I made my way over to him on the swings as quickly as I could, in order to keep from frightening all of the children at the park. I stayed there with him, and pushed him on the swing for a few moments. He desperately wanted to leave the park, but I had no intention of letting his fear win the battle.
The funny thing is, really, there is absolutely no reason to be afraid of a carpenter bee.
After witnessing the event, my sweet friend, who had been there at the park walking with me, made a suggestion to help with Isaac’s fear. Why not role play? Pretend we see the bees at the park and then act out how we want to respond. I thought that seemed like an excellent idea.
Today Isaac and I acted out the “bees at the park” scenario. It went fairly well, and I think Isaac even thought it was fun. At the end of our role playing I said, “Isaac, please remember, Jesus doesn’t want us to be afraid of bees. He promises He is with us and we can trust Him; there is no reason to be fearful.”
And then we learned a verse as our “no fear” mantra. We chanted it a bunch, over and over again.
Psalm 56:3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.
When we were finished, I continued to think. The whole thing stung just a bit. I’ve wanted to run away screaming from a few things in my own life. Why? Because I’ve forgotten. Regardless of what happens, whether we’re talking large carpenter bees or sickness or hardship: When I am fearful, I can trust Him.
And because I remain the forgetful one, who desperately wants to believe, I need this mantra just as much as my sweet boy does. Believing He is trustworthy and speaking the scripture out loud completely disables the fear.
Remembering Who He is reminds me I have nothing worthy of fearing in the first place.
A phrase from one of my favorite worship songs ministered to my heart in a fresh way today:
No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry, to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand
Til He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I stand.
daily portion 