Lent: Day 31

Do Not Be Afraid

“Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will... give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” – Luke 1:30-31

As the sun came up one brisk Tuesday morning, I thought to myself, “I wonder what Abby’s favorite passage in the Bible is.” Every Tuesday and Thursday I go to Elim Christian School, a school for children with special needs, and tutor two students for 15 minutes. Abby is one of my tutees at Elim. As we were talking about what her favorite passage is from the Bible she said, “The three Wisemen.” I asked her why she likes this passage and she said very eloquently, “With God we are not to be afraid. Just like Mary and the three wise men were not afraid.”

If only we could all see it as Abby sees it. Just like Abby said, in whatever we do and in whatever God summons us to do, we are not to be afraid. Mary could have said, “No, God. I am not ready for this. I am scared.” But Mary knew that God would always be with her. Abby knows this too. No matter what happens to us, what stumbling blocks we may cross, we can feel confident that we will see God traversing those stumbling blocks with us. We are commanded to be “Strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” JOShua 1:9 and wherever you go, as Abby reminded me too, “God will help us.”

As our tutoring time ended Abby said, “You go girl,” prompting me to go out into the world and do what God has planned for me. Go, and don’t be afraid to do what God is asking of you today, God will be there to help you.

Thought for the Day: Be strong and courageous. Be ready to do whatever God calls you to do in your life.

Prayer: Dear God, I thank you for always being with me by my side. I know that you have amazing plans for me, and I ask that you help me to accept your plans without fear. Help me to be strong and courageous like Mary when she answered your call. Amen.