The unfamiliar can often seem scary, but as people of faith, we ever walk alone.
I work in the front office of an elementary school. Because of where I sit, I get to encounter children from all grade levels and I hear amusing and sometimes inspiring, stories from them all day long. My favorite stories are very often from or about, our youngest students, the kindergarteners.
One of our custodians was buffing the floors out in the hall. The buffing machine is quite large and fairly noisy, but I never gave it much thought. Apparently, one of the kindergarteners did. She marched right up to that custodian, pointed to the machine and told him that she was afraid of it.
Since he’s one of the kindest men I have ever known, he took the time to calmly explain to her that he was just using it to clean the floors and there was nothing to be afraid of. I think she was satisfied because she went on her way.
I thought about that story long after he told it. I have always had a special heart for the kindergarteners at the beginning of each school year. Everything is new to them and they are all so small. heir backpacks are bigger than they are. It’s very easy to see how they can be completely overwhelmed at times.
But, haven’t we all been there? We’ve all been new in some unfamiliar place or situation. Maybe it was a new school, or a new job, or a new church, or even a new relationship of some sort. It could have been facing and then navigating, a serious illness or walking along side someone who we love, who was. It could have been a new chapter of some sort in our own unfolding story.
Like those kindergartners, we have all carried something around that’s bigger than we are and change is hard, no matter your age.
When we find ourselves in the unfamiliar, it’s easy to be gripped with fear. When that happens, we can shrink back and hide under the covers. We can ball up our fists and stomp our feet in anger at the unfairness of it all. We can allow ourselves to drown in sadness, wanting desperately to go back to what was.
But, as Christians, we have another option. We can go to God and cry out for help and mercy. We can pray for strength and courage. We can pray for healing and direction. We can pray for patience. We can pray for peace.
Quite often, the answers are not immediate, but we will get them because the more we lean into God, the more we learn to believe the absolute truth in Jesus’ words, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Sometimes He even sends kindly people to point out that the loud scary thing we were afraid of, was nothing to fear after all. A kindergartener and a wise custodian, reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂