The most terrified I’ve ever been was when I was 12 and got up one night to go to the bathroom. As I walked through the dark living room I looked up and saw someone! He must have seen me, too, because we both stopped at the same time. My heart was pounding so hard I thought my chest would explode. When I got up the courage to move, he apparently had the same idea and started walking in the same direction. I stopped again… and he did, too! After a while I realized I was looking at myself in a mirror.
What scares you? Terrorism? This dark world is full of people who have decided their main job in life is to kill everyone who doesn’t agree with them.
How about the thought of losing your job? What would you do without a steady stream of income?
What if you go through a lengthy illness later in life? Would you have enough insurance and savings to pay all the medical bills?
When you were in school, maybe tests scared you, or girls, or the class bully. Maybe that speech you had to give in front of the class had your knees knocking.
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught us not to worry. In Matthew 6:25 he said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?”
In the grand scheme of things, you’re here on earth for a very short time. On your deathbed, if you are blessed with time to reflect on your life before it ends, what emotions will you experience? My guess is you’ll be at peace if you have a relationship with the Creator of the universe. And if you don’t, you will probably be very afraid, and for good reason.
As David said in Psalm 27:1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”