"Mommy, I'm scared!" by Janice Olson

John 14:27 (NLT) “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

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When my children were little, sometimes at night they would be afraid. I would hear them yell, Mommy, I’m scared. Like any good parent, I would do my best to diminish their fears and make them feel safe again and hopefully go off to sleep.

I’d check in the closet and under the bed to prove no one was there. But sometimes their little minds wouldn’t settle down. The only way they would be comforted was for me to lie down beside them, pull them up close, and softly sing songs like “Yes, Jesus Loves Me” or old hymns of the faith until they fell asleep.

Just as my children would get frightened, there are times that I get scared and worried too. Even when I do my best to keep the uncertainties at bay, they often return with a vengeance. Only when I turn to my heavenly Father and tell Him how truly scared I am, that’s when He pulls me up close and gives me comfort.

Sometimes, just like my kids, it takes Him a little longer to convince me no one can harm me, He’s in control. But once I lie back in His comforting embrace and know that He is there to stave off the evil one, all my cares and concerns begin to fade away. And though life’s uncertainties are still raging around me, my troubled heart finds peace and rest in Him.

It is wonderful to know the ol’ boogeyman can’t harm me in my Father’s arms.

How awesome is our Father’s peace—this peace I give to you is a gift the world cannot give. And I’m so glad the world can’t take it away.

Janice Olson is the author of fast-pace, character-driven suspense with an interlaced thread of faith. Her novels are praised as clean, wholesome reads with twists and turns, conspiracies and intrigues that provide hours of breathtaking entertainment.

She is the president of DFW Ready Writers and the leader of a weekly writers’ critique. Serenity’s Deception and Lethal Intent are two of her book now available online at Barnes & Noble.com and Amazon.com.