What Are You Afraid Of?

What are you afraid of?

A lot of us were scared of the dark when we were little. There’s something about the lights going out that transforms ordinary shadows into dreadful monsters.

Years later, we still have our monsters, don’t we? Relational problems. Health crises. Significant life changes that are beyond our control. They’re more sophisticated than the creepy things we feared hid under our bed as children, but they haunt us just the same.

Back when you were a kid, you probably hid from your fears by pulling the blankets a little tighter. Now that you’re an adult, you may be responding the same way. You hide by minimizing the severity of the issues confronting you. Or, worse still, you avoid them entirely through drugs, alcohol, pornography, or by filling your waking hours with so many distractions that you’re able to keep your fears below the surface … at least for a little while.

But keeping our fears hidden doesn’t squelch them, it feeds them until they grow into something bigger and far more sinister than they ought to be. Author and speaker Patsy Clairmont knows that as well as anyone. She endured fear so overwhelming it kept her imprisoned in her own home for six years. How did she dispel the darkness and get her life back?

She turned on God’s light.

Was it as simple as a prayer? For her, no. She thought God would whisk away her fear at the mere utterance of His name. Instead, He took her on a journey deep within herself where she became part of her own healing, and He transformed her from the inside out.

That restoration led her from being held hostage in her own home to flying across the country nearly every weekend to speak to large groups of people and lifting up the name of Jesus and proclaiming with the evidence from her own experiences that He really does set prisoners free.

Focus on the Family is continuing to celebrate our 40^th anniversary with some of your all-time favorite programs. Our latest episode features Patsy Clairmont in one of our most popular and classic broadcasts called “God Uses Cracked Pots.” You can hear it on your local radio station, online, or on our free phone app.

In this talk delivered at a women’s retreat, Patsy explains how her fears cut her off from the outside world and how she found recovery through Scripture, godly friends, and a willingness to let go of the past. Her message is redemptive and timeless, and I believe it’ll connect with you.

If your fears hold sway over your life and you’re going through a painful time, we have caring Christian counselors who can talk with you and give you some first steps at 800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).

We also have an online store that offers helpful digital and print resources in the areas of marriage, parenting, faith, and issues related to many other life challenges.