My daughter loves role playing. Most times there is a
story running in her head, whether she is drawing or playing with Legos, or
playdough or even just singing. When she finishes a drawing and brings it to
me, it’s always very interesting and fun to listen to her as she explains what
she has drawn. There is a story there. Even when she sings, she sometimes
changes the words and adds her own story there and it’s pretty interesting and
amusing to listen to that.
This role playing is a big part of her play time too.
So we are at this indoor playground and there’s this big maze kind of an area
to climb, jump, crawl, with rope bridges, rope ladders and so much more. My
daughter loves running around this place. She drags me along to run around with
her. And then she’s like – ‘Mama, you can be the big bad wolf’. For whatever
reasons, I am mostly the bad guy. I’m either the big bad wolf, or the troll
(from the billy goats gruff), or the bad monsters (not just a monster, a ‘bad’
monster!!). Let’s hope it’s just because I have to do the chasing and for no
other reason! :D
But anyways, so I am the big bad wolf and she and her
friends are the piggies and I have to run after them and catch them. They are
small and so flexible and it’s easy for them to run and crawl through the small
spaces and they are much ahead of me mostly as I run after them.
My daughter is all laughs and giggles and squeals and
screams as she runs with her friends. Sometimes when I get too close, I slow
down and pretend like she’s just escaped from my grasp. And you should hear the
loud squeal as she runs away, thinking she’s very cleverly escaped.
But every once in a while, I think the role playing
gets very real to her. She’s sometimes so lost in this world, that the line
between imagination and reality is lost, and suddenly it feels real to her. So
sometimes as I run behind her with my fingers out like claws, growling (No,
wolves don’t growl, I need to remember to howl like a wolf next time, I don’t want
my daughter growing up thinking wolves growl), and shouting –‘I am going to
catch you’ ’I am going to eat you’, I sometimes see she gets worried. She stops
running and turns to look at me and goes – ‘Mamma?’. Initially I didn’t know
that it sometimes got a little real to her. But now I do. So now I stop my ‘big
bad wolf’ act and turn back into ‘Mama’, and we laugh and tickle and laugh and
snuggle a bit, before she says –‘Mama, now you can be the troll’, and the
running chasing starts again.
What if our fear is an illusion too? What if it isn’t real?
What if the truth is greater? Greater than our fear?
When Jesus walked towards the boat in which his
disciples were, in the dark of the night. They were afraid and Jesus said to them,
“It is I, don’t be afraid”.
What if we realised that behind every fear, stood Jesus
saying, “It’s me. I’m here. Don’t be afraid”??
God is bigger than my fears. If I am truly aware of
that, isn’t my fear much smaller than it seems to be. Combat fear with faith.
And no matter how afraid you are, do it afraid. You may be shivering with
fright, but take that step to move forward. Don’t let fear hold you back. I
think most situation get blown up more than it is, by fear, which is what makes
me think of fear more as an illusion. At such times I like to remember that God
understands and stands with me saying, “It is me. I am here. Don’t be afraid”.
John 6:20 - They
were scared senseless, but he reassured them, “It’s me. It’s all right. Don’t
be afraid.” (MSG)
Matthew 14:27 - But Jesus
was quick to comfort them. “Courage, it’s me. Don’t be afraid.” (MSG)
Isaiah 41:10 - ‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you;
Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you;
I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’ (AMP)
Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you;
I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’ (AMP)