Are You Afraid Of The Dark?
Written By Phoebe Cheong, Singapore
To be perfectly honest, I’m scared of the dark. I didn’t realize this until very recently when I found that, after nightfall, I always had the feeling that something (that wasn’t my dog) was going to creep up and pounce on me.
When I finally stopped denying it and tried to deal with it rationally, I discovered that this fear extended to the metaphorical dark patches in my life. I realized that maybe what I was really afraid of was not the dark, but the unknown.
Does this resonate with you? Maybe you wake up at three in the morning worrying about the future. You could be asking questions like: “What am I going to do after I’m done with school?” “What exactly am I supposed to be doing with my life?” “What is my life going to look like in 10 years?”
In Genesis chapters 37 to 45, we see that God was with Joseph through even the most terrible events in his life, turning tragedy into great opportunities. His brothers sell him to Egypt, he gets thrown in prison, but eventually he becomes the prime minister—in the perfect position to help his family through the coming famine.
As a youth, suffering in slavery and captivity, Joseph may have wondered whether God would intervene. It probably was incredibly frightening for him, not knowing what the future might hold. But as an old man, wise and powerful, looking back upon his life and all its difficult, fearful episodes, he must have realized that God had been watching over him all along.
As I read Joseph’s story, I’m comforted and thrilled to know that our God is amazingly invested in the lives of His children. Slowly, I’m learning to see life as something like an off-road, mountain adventure with God, in which He leads me step by step. Sometimes I step on a shaky rock and lose my balance, sometimes the view is simply breathtaking, and at other times the fog obscures my vision and I can’t see the path ahead. But amidst all this, I know that God will always be my guide in this journey. And this makes the uncertainty (strangely) exciting.
If you’re going through something similar, my question to you is: Instead of being afraid, will you let Him take you on an adventure? I assure you, life will never be the same!
thanks for sharing!