“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” (Proverbs 31:25)
“This is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.” (1 Peter 3:5-6)
Scripture repeatedly describes a woman of faith as someone who is unafraid. She has a quiet confidence that can only come from knowing that if God is for us, nobody can successfully stand against us (Romans 8:31).
There are plenty of frightening things in our world. There are the continuing economic troubles, the constant threat of war and terrorism, the increasing acceptance of everything except Christianity, bad news from doctors, disappointments from family…this world can be a scary place!
Christians get to look at things differently. The thinks that spook so many shouldn’t have a strong hold on us. We’re concerned for the economy, but we know that life is more than food and the body is more than clothing (Luke 12:23). We pray for peace, but we know that death is not the worst threat (Matthew 10:28) and that we all have an appointment with it anyway! (See Hebrews 9:27).
When Franklin D. Roosevelt said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” – he was almost right. The only fear we have is a respect for God (Ecclesiastes 12:13) which is being replaced by perfected love (1 John 4:18). So let’s join the worthy woman of Proverbs 31 and share a good laugh at the fears of tomorrow!