Daily Devotional for August 21, 2019
Not So Scary
Crew and his sister Nina begged to watch a movie about a shipwreck. “I’ll watch it with you,” Dad said. “We’ll just turn it off if it’s something we shouldn’t be watching or if it gets too scary for you two.”
“It won’t scare me,” Crew said, “but Nina will probably scream through most of it. She’s a big chicken!”
Nina scowled. “I am not! I won’t be scared at all.”
To Crew’s surprise, when the storm got really rough and it was apparent the ship would go down, Nina just yawned. And when the passengers made it safely to an island only to discover that it was inhabited by wild animals, Nina smiled. Crew couldn’t believe it. “What’s with you?” he asked. “Usually you scream and cover your eyes over nothing!”
“I’d probably be scared,” said Nina, “except that my friend Amy saw this movie and told me about it. I know what happens—the story has a good ending.”
When the movie ended, Dad flipped to the evening news. Reporters talked about accidents and terrorists and shootings. “Now, those stories really are scary,” Nina said.
“Yeah,” Crew agreed, “and those things are true, not just made-up. That’s what makes them so scary.”
“We really have nothing to fear though,” Dad said.
Nina looked at him curiously. “We don’t? Why not, Dad? Just because we’re Christians doesn’t mean bad things won’t happen to us, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t,” replied Dad. “Everyone faces scary and painful situations in life, including Christians, and it’s sad to hear about war and accidents and other things that happen. But . . .” He smiled at Nina. “We know how everything ends. One day Jesus will come back and get rid of sin and evil and make the whole world new. Christians who have died will be resurrected, and we’ll all live with Him forever. Because we trust in Jesus, there’s a good ending ahead for us.”
“Wow,” said Nina. “Scary news isn’t so scary when you know everything ends well.”
Dad nodded. “Jesus is in control of everything that happens. We can trust Him to be with us and help us through hard times on earth, knowing the ending to our story will be a good one.” Sherry L. Kuyt
How about you?
Do you worry that something bad might happen to you? Do scary things make you fearful? Remember that God is in control of everything that happens, and He’s promised a good ending for those who trust in Jesus. Trust Him to help you through any difficulties you face, and look forward to the good ending He has in store for you.
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