Pea-Sized Problems

My daughter Tiffany was entering first grade, and the school informed us that she required an inoculation. When we shared this tragic news with her, Tiff immediately went into panic mode. It didn't exactly sound like a trip to Disneyland to get violently stabbed in the arm with a giant needle. (At least that's the story her six-year-old mind was telling herself!) As I recall, she fretted over it all night. Tucking her in, I assured her she had nothing to fear, and we prayed...but it didn't seem to help. The next morning, I repeated my encouragement, with the same futile results. Driving her to the doctor, fretful worry filled our vehicle.

No sooner had we entered the waiting room, when a child's scream erupted from a back room. Turning to each other, we made eye contact, and I read my daughter's mind: "That's gonna be me in a few minutes." Eventually, we were called back. After seating Tiffany, a kind nurse dabbed a swab of alcohol on her arm. Tiff managed to moan out a simple last request: "Please tell me when you're about to give me the shot." Smiling, the nurse looked at Tiffany and said, "Honey, I just gave you the shot." Tiffany hadn't even felt it! All that worry; all that stress; all that fretting was for nothing! A look of relief washed over Tiff's face, and a huge grin broke out. I simply gave her a wise, fatherly nod, as if to say, "See, I told you." 

Haven't we all done that? We take a pea-sized problem and turn it into a stadium-sized fear. I'm confident that's what Franklin Roosevelt meant when he uttered his famous declaration, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself." That's why Jesus repeatedly instructs us, "Do not worry" (Matt.6:25-34). That's why he often asked his disciples, "Oh you of little faith, why do you doubt?" (Matt.14:31). Because that's probably what we do better than anything else! Guess what command is repeated in the Bible more often than any other? Two simple words: "Fear not" (over 100 times). Without fail, we make our paranoia bigger than our problems; our trepidation larger than our troubles. If you doubt that, check it out the next time you take your kids to the doctor for shots. You'll discover really quick that what we think are stadium-sized problems, don't amount to a hill of peas!