Unexpected and frightening!
Not that unusual. Most children at some point in growing up become afraid of monsters under the bed, scary somethings that turn the dark into frightening scenarios.
Where are the fears birthed? What is the beginning of the fear of the dark and what might be in it?
Perhaps for Addie it started with a green plastic crocodile whose mouth could be opened to reveal a red spot in the throat. Her dog, Lucy, had gotten hold of the toy and chewed the front paws off it. It looked kind of bedraggled.
Addie liked to play with the crocodile in the bathtub. She opened the mouth, poured water in, and pretended to feed it. She also liked to push its open mouth on my finger and pretend it bit me when I was giving her a bath. It was all a funny game.
Then came the night she woke up in fear and went to her parents’ bed. “There are crocodiles in my bed!” she told them through tears.
Her daddy reassured her that there were no crocodiles in her bed, turning on her light and pulling back the covers on her bed to prove it was croc free.
“There were! There were!” she insisted.
So for the rest of the night, she slept right next to her daddy under his protective arm, feeling secure from the dangers of the dark.
The next night she didn’t wake up afraid until around 3 a.m. After another reassurance and search, she went back to sleep. After a while, the fear of the scary crocodiles subsided.
What about you?
Did you have a fear of the dark, or something scary in your room at night, when you were little?
What about now?
What makes your heart beat fast and cold sweat break out on your forehead in the dark midnight or at 3 a.m. when you wake up for no reason you know of?
Have you heard a strange noise? Had a frightening thought? Felt a crushing guilt?
There is someone you can turn to.
The Bible in Psalm 91:5 reassures us, “You will not fear the terror of night, not the arrow that flies by night.” Even when in danger, Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Again, Psalm 3:4-5 reminds us, “I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.”
We need to have a healthy fear when we are being put in a dangerous situation so we can protect ourselves — from the thief in the night, from the evil person, from those who would do us harm.
But as those who love the Lord and trust in Him, we can rest assured that He is there at all times; in danger or peace, in fear or in confidence, in vulnerability or in strength.
We can call on Him and rest in His protective arms.
