The Halloween season has just passed and the “scary” items are disappearing from the shelves replaced by fall, Thanksgiving and even Christmas decorations. Stores have put the jack-o-lanterns, skeletons and ghoulish attire on clearance shelves in hopes of hastening their way out of the stores. The season of “scare” in retail is gone for another year, and I am pretty happy with that. It is not my favorite time of the year. Fear is not my favorite emotion.

In my last blog I wrote about living with a “landshark” or a child who tends to hurt others. These kids can be really difficult and they can bring up scary thoughts in the minds of their family members. Even if your child is not prone to aggressive behavior, there are plenty of scary possibilities that can entertain your brain. Children who are depressed, anxious or confused can worry parents. Unfortunately, fearful thoughts have invaded my mind and home several times over the years.

Where do I begin? Some of the fearful thoughts I (and maybe you)  have harbored are the following: fear of my children not making friends or not succeeding in school: fear that my “landshark” might hurt someone; fear that someone might hurt either of my children. Later on, with middle school and teenage children, these fears may continue– and we may may add some new ones.  There is  fear that a child could become involved in substance abuse or sexual promiscuity and suffer the long-term consequences of these behaviors. Specifically related to special needs is the fear that our children might not be able to care for themselves as they get older. And maybe the worse fear is that a child with emotional challenges might harm him or herself or even attempt suicide.

I actually hate to bring up this topic– especially for those of you who have very young children. I know you have enough troubles in the preschool and elementary school realm that you do not want to even go there– to the scarier possibilities as your children age.  However, there is something good about acknowledging and facing our fears early on as we raise our children. If we are able to do that early in our parenting journey, we may be able to save ourselves a lifetime of worry and fear.  Of course, it is best to learn to face just the fears of today– to look that fear it in the face and say, ” You have no control over me.” I was not able to do that as a young mother, but I am better at it now.  Why? Because I have discovered and started to believe God’s words.  How simple, but how difficult, for many of us.

So let’s  move on to the good part– what the Bible tells us about fear.  It tells us that “perfect love drives out fear.” (1 John 4:18).  Wow, that could be life-changing, right?  I mean, if we were able to gain a love so perfect that our fear is cast away from us?  Is it really possible to be free of  fear of the future– or free from fear for our children, in this case?  I believe it is possible, but I am going to have to leave that discussion for another blog lest I scare us both away with my verbosity.  Please– go find a Bible– peruse it a bit–and we’ll pick up on this discussion soon.

Blessings to you.

Karen