Have No Fear

 (4-24-2012)

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." ~ Joshua 1:9

I love play dates! It is a wonderful opportunity for me to connect with other moms (and friends!) while Maddie gets to play with her friends. This particular play date was at Wil-O-Way Park in Naperville. However, and even better part of the play dates is that Maddie is continually stretched and pulled beyond what Matt or I can manage to do for her.

She LOVES going to the park and loves going down the slides, as well as swinging, but she is terrified of climbing up on the high play equipment. In fact, just two days ago, she climbed to the top of one, got scared and started to cry and peed her pants. Needless to say, she wouldn't budge. I had to climb up and get her.

Anyway, today while we were at the park with friends, I was chatting with two other moms while keeping my eye on her. I had turned to say something to one of my friends and turned back around to see that she had climbed to the top (by herself) and was getting ready to come down the slide. Of course I was so proud of her that I clapped and whipped out my camera to take a picture. 

Watching her conquer her fear reminded me of the verse above. How often are we paralyzed by a fear of something to the point where we are useless, so to speak? We give up and don't bother trying. But as we read in Joshua 1:9, we are not to give up. Instead, we are to "be strong and courageous" and "not be afraid" for "God will be with [us] wherever [we] go." For that, I am truly thankful!