The setting:
My son and his wife live in an OLD stone farm house. Â In the back yard is an old root cellar, a weird focal point to the back yard. The kids love to climb over it. (for the grandmas reading this, the door is secure!) Tonight it’s back yard Graduation Party for my son who has graduated from Seminary, ten years, one wife and four children later . . .. .
The night air filled with
the sound of children at play
the easy conversation of adults
is broken with a fearful cry
escalating with the fear.
coming from a
little boy in a yellow shirt
perched atop the root cellar,
afraid to come down
because of a Big Spider.
Daddy hears
coming to investigate
source of his fear
scooping him up in his arms
Daddy sets him down, inspecting
the offending Big Spider.
the little boy in the yellow shirt scampers
right back up beside him.
The fear of the spider broken. . .
The little boy in the yellow shirt suddenly fascinated
by the very thing that caused such terror
moments before . . .
All because Daddy is here.
It reminds me that the presence of Jesus can
calm our fears,
grant us courage
even when things
seem to spiral
out of control.
Isaiah 41:10a (The Message)
Don’t panic, I am with you