Have Faith Without Fear

“Mommy, you have to hear about my dream.” Annalise said quietly from the bathroom door early yesterday morning. Her almost seven year old face was still squinting from the bright light after being cozy in her dark room all night long.

“What’s that, baby?” I asked, wondering what could have had her out of bed so early.

“Well, in my dream, I was up in a room talking to a little girl. She was scared to pray and so I told her not to be scared. I told her that she could talk to God about her sin. I told her that God loves her and that he isn’t scary. Then, I prayed with her so she could have Jesus in her heart like me.”

Inside, my heart was leaping in my chest but I tried really hard not to over react so that she would continue her story. “Then what?”

“I walked with her downstairs and there were even MORE kids who were scared to talk to God. I helped them all pray so that they could know about Jesus…” she paused and then said, “Mommy, in my dream I told people about Jesus and prayed with them. It was a really good dream.”

She smiled at me and I gave her a big hug.

“Do you understand how exciting this is, Annalise? You used to be scared to talk to God, remember? And, now, you know what it feels like to tell other kids how to pray to God without being scared.”

“I know, Mommy. It’s not scary anymore.”

I hugged her again and she ran off to start her day.

Have Faith Without Fear

I was so thankful for that moment with Annalise because that dream turned a light on inside of her heart.

She realized how to have faith, to tell people about Jesus and that she can pray with others to help them know Jesus more.

My mind flashed back to another conversation we had had during a homeschool lesson a few weeks ago.

She was reading in her Bible book about the nativity story and how the angels had told Mary and the shepherds to not be afraid. As she read aloud to me, she looked up and said, “Mommy, the angels said to not be afraid. Do you think they would tell me to not be afraid?”

“Yes! Jesus himself would tell you to not be afraid to come to Him! He wants you to have faith, talk to Him and pray to Him. He loves you, Annalise.”

And, now she had this precious dream where she wasn’t afraid. She was not only brave enough to pray herself, she was brave enough to have faith and to share her faith with others.

Maybe that was God leading her heart towards full time ministry or missions. Maybe it was just a moment where God encouraged her to be bold with her faith. Maybe it was just a simple dream.

But whatever the reason for the dream, it was a big moment for Annalise. And a wonderful lesson to have faith.

Parents, we must be in tune with out kids and watch for signs of fear when they think about prayer or telling their friends about their faith.

Watch for teaching moments.

Be prepared with real life stories from YOUR life and from God’s Word.

Teach. Be patient. Trust the Holy Spirit to do His work in their heart. Trust His timing in their lives.

Let Him lovingly show them how much He loves them.

Don’t let moments pass by that could help them understand that God is big, real and so very approachable for them.

Don’t assume that your kids understand His love or His desire to have a personal relationship with them.

Be on guard against the fears they may have when thinking about prayer or sharing their faith.

Walk it with them. Have faith that God will show up in their lives.

What are some ways you have helped your kids know that God loves them? That He wants a relationship with them? That they can share their faith without fear? That they can pray without fear?

Some more stories you can share here.: Living Fearlessly