Faint of Heart

Alex, our Black Lab, is, to put it kindly, faint of heart. Although he is a good watch dog in many respects, he suffers from an inordinate fear, or at least, discomfort from too many things. Thunderstorms send him to the walk-in closet. As for going outside, a necessity for all dogs, he does not like to go out if it’s too cold, too hot, or too windy. Rain and darkness also create problems. If I am with him, however, he has no fear.

At one point in the ministry of Jesus, He told His disciples to get into a boat and begin the crossing of the Sea of Galilee. (see Matthew 14:22-32) He remained on shore and went to the mountainside to pray by Himself. That evening the boat the disciples were in was a considerable distance from the shore and was being buffeted by waves due to the wind. Jesus walked to them and when they saw Him walking on the water, they thought He was a ghost. They were terrified. Jesus said to them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Or as the little boy in the Sunday School class memorized, “Don’t git scairt. It’s me!”

Many of us are often paralyzed with fear even as the disciples were. Much of our fear is exhibited in the way we worry and our concern over what tomorrow may bring. Take heart. As long as He is with us we need not fear; we need not worry. “God is love…There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…” (I John 4:16, 17).