Fears of a Mom.

Go to youtube, look up "One Thing Remains" by: Jesus Culture and listen to the song while you read. Let the words wash over you.

I was singing in church this morning the words of "Your love never fails, never gives up, never runs out on me. . . on and on and on and on it goes, for it overwhelms and satisfies my soul, and I never have to be afraid, cuz one thing remains. . ." with my hand on my stomach, holding onto my son, the tears streaming down my face, I felt this unexplainable, overwhelming love and protection for Asher for the first time. It washed over me like . . .the peace and calm after a trembling rainstorm.

The last few weeks I've been full of fear. . . fear of being a mom, fear of labor, fear of exams, fear of the unknown. I've psyched myself out to the point of anxiety and tears and panic. There I said it. . . my confession to you. I haven't truly believed I was pregnant and that it was happening to me; I couldn't connect with the reality I was going to have a son. I could feel him moving, I could see my stomach bounce, but I couldn't wrap my mind around it. All I could think about was . . . FEAR.

I couldn't enjoy being pregnant and deal with this fear at the same time. And then we hear the news of more bombings happen in Boston. I can't bring a child into this mess I thought, I can't expose a child to all this evil, what is going to happen, my mind was consumed. I was laying in bed the night we heard the news and I was thinking. . . "How will I explain this world to our son? How can I model bravery and fearlessness amidst the unknown of evils in our world when I am trapped by fear myself?

What will I say to little Asher?"

And in the darkness of a sleepless night, I felt God's peace wash over me and heard him speak to my heart the words from 1 John 4:18 that perfect love expels fear.

Pastor spoke on that very message of fear this morning. The opposite of LOVE is FEAR and I've been living with a lot of fear lately. Fear and love cannot coexist. We live in a world of fear but God's love expels fear (there's the "but God" story again. . ). There is ALWAYS hope with the love of God.

I'll tell little Asher that we live in a world of evil, a world where people live with fear and hopelessness. We have to obey the law of the land and pray for our government leaders and at times it will be scary and uncertain, but we are to fix our eyes on God and worship HIM ALONE. Asher will love the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:32. David is a young shepherd chosen to defeat the great giant Goliath and David is confident God WILL rescue him from the Philistine (17:37). Young David is FEARLESS in battle because he fixes his eyes on God, the God who expels fear with his great love.

David goes on to write Psalm 23 and proclaims God's faithfulness in times of fear.

David completely, wholeheartedly trusts God in the midst of a time he could be fearful.

"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life and I will live in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6 David's confidence and unrelenting faith challenges me to set fear aside and fix my eyes on God.

Because God's unfailing love pursues me and it pursues our children, and it will pursue little Asher all the days of his life.

I want to share this reading with you read by a beautiful, praying woman in our church. I encourage you to take the next few minutes to just read and enjoy and just let God's peace overwhelm your heart in the midst of any fear you may be living with. . . .

"The Lord says, fear is such a thief. It steals you of your joy and it steals you of my love that I have for you. I am eager to teach you how to in my perfect love. As long as you carry this fear around, you can't become the person I see when I look at you. Beloved, I want to give you an encounter with my live that is so powerful it banishes all your fear! Because my love hates fear! My love damages fear!

The Lord says, you pray on earth as it is in heaven, well in heaven, there isn't any fear, only love. . .overwhelming and abundant love. So, beloved, if you have fear in this place this morning- I have some good news for you. My perfect love casts out all fear and  I want to cram some of that love into you right now!

The Lord says, do you know how much I love you? I made you! I don't really care how well you perform- I'm not into performance, I'm in to loving you for the sake of love because that is who I am. I am the Good Shepherd. I will always lead you, guide you, and provide exactly what you need so don't fear.

I love you all the time all the way AND I am an unchanging God so I will ALWAYS love you all the time all the way. . .with my radical and extravagant love.

The Lord says, My love is available to you. In Jesus, I have promised that all that I have is available to you. Go take it! Take my love! Receive it in your heart! Yes! Let us banish all of your fear- because there is no fear with me- only peace and perfect love. I want to give you all my love that you can stand right now. It's my desire and my longing- won't you take it? Won't you believe it? Won't you receive it? My people, you my children are not fearful, you are FEARLESS because of my great love for you."

Moms, we have to be fearless for our children and model God's great love for us to our children. I am 2 weeks away from my due date, I have a lot to learn (a lot!), but I am more ready and more at peace than ever to meet our little guy.

God's perfect love expels my fear and

I never have to be afraid.

Be a mom of beauty, a mom of courage and a mom of love!

God's great love will pursue you and you never have to be afraid.

Children are a sweet, precious gift from God and we have a big ministry to be moms who let God's great love expel our fears.

I feel like I can breathe and enjoy these last precious days. . .