A storm raged outside, and on the inside of the house, just as much chaos took place. There sat Alice, six years old, huddled in a closet with her Mamaw and four young cousins. A mixture of crying and yelling came from the cousins, who no longer wanted to sit in the stuffy closet. The sharp voice of Alice’s Mamaw rose above the noise to snap orders such as, “Sit down and be quiet!” in an effort to hear the weatherman on the TV. The lights flickered on and off as the electricity struggled to withstand the winds that roared like a freight train. Everyone felt uneasy, except Alice’s two year old cousin, who toddled about the small closet without a care, for she remained completely unaware of the severity of the storm. Alice sat in the corner of
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Her parents remained consistent in their love and support during this time; they pointed her to Christ throughout her struggles. At the beginning, Alice’s Dad and Mom tried many different approaches to help her cope with the fear. They tried to reason with her, calm her, and distract her; they even attempted to use tough love at times, but nothing worked. Eventually her parents came to the conclusion that they could not fix the problem, but God could. They then took it upon themselves to spend each night, right before bed, to pray with and over Alice. Through consistent prayer each night, and encouragement from her parents, Alice’s fear gradually started to ease. One specific night of prayer provided the pivotal point in Alice’s fear of storms. She planned to sleep in the basement that night, in her sister’s room, because a storm brewed outside. As she lay in bed crying, her dad stayed up with her to pray. He said something to her that night that she would never forget: “Alice, your Mom and I can pray every single night that you are not afraid, but you are the one that has to make the decision to give this to God. Unless you decide that God can have your fear, you will still be holding on to it.” The words her dad said to her that night led Alice to realize she needed to let go of her fear and give it to God, instead of holding on to it and asking Him to take it away. That night, Alice experienced a peace for the first time in a long time. The peace she experienced through Christ gave her the desire to give God all of her life, not just the
Her parents remained consistent in their love and support during this time; they pointed her to Christ throughout her struggles. At the beginning, Alice’s Dad and Mom tried many different approaches to help her cope with the fear. They tried to reason with her, calm her, and distract her; they even attempted to use tough love at times, but nothing worked. Eventually her parents came to the conclusion that they could not fix the problem, but God could. They then took it upon themselves to spend each night, right before bed, to pray with and over Alice. Through consistent prayer each night, and encouragement from her parents, Alice’s fear gradually started to ease. One specific night of prayer provided the pivotal point in Alice’s fear of storms. She planned to sleep in the basement that night, in her sister’s room, because a storm brewed outside. As she lay in bed crying, her dad stayed up with her to pray. He said something to her that night that she would never forget: “Alice, your Mom and I can pray every single night that you are not afraid, but you are the one that has to make the decision to give this to God. Unless you decide that God can have your fear, you will still be holding on to it.” The words her dad said to her that night led Alice to realize she needed to let go of her fear and give it to God, instead of holding on to it and asking Him to take it away. That night, Alice experienced a peace for the first time in a long time. The peace she experienced through Christ gave her the desire to give God all of her life, not just the