In the Dark and Loving It!

by Penelope Kaye

Fear. We have all experienced it with various levels of trepidation. Regardless of the particular phobia, it can cripple us and keep us from enjoying life, enriching our community, and embracing our future. Not the abundant life Jesus promised.

My fear of the dark began as a child watching scary movies at the local theater. Later, Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” resulted in complete terror of the night. Even during my marriage, I wouldn’t let my husband turn the lights off until I was in bed with the covers pulled over my head. Taking the garbage out, reading past midnight, using the bathroom in the middle of the night—no matter what activity—darkness caused a pounding heart, sky-high anxiety, and a racing pulse. I knew someone or something waited around the corner to do me in!

Not until after I committed my life to the Lord did I receive deliverance from fear, especially the dark. However, being free from fear of the midnight sky did not leave me enamored with it. That all changed one August night. A night orchestrated by God.

I had driven to Portland, Oregon for a writers conference and was on my way home. My plan? Cross the treacherous Lookout Pass on the Montana/Idaho border before dark. But the day had started early and was ending long. Unfortunately, pinpoints of light dotted an inky sky by the time I reached it.John 8:12

Slowing to maneuver yet another curve, I suddenly realized I had no fear. The headlight beams allowed me to see only the path ahead, not the dangers around me. With a laser focus on the light, I was totally oblivious of any risk.

In a flash, God dropped a revelation into my spirit. As long as I focused on Jesus and His light, I didn’t have to fear regardless of how much darkness surrounded me. Joy bubbled up and I started to laugh—I was in the dark and loving it!

A paradigm shift had taken place.

Laughter took over. The joy of the Lord became my strength. I rejoiced in a new-found delight of my former terror.  What key led me to laughing at the enemy of fear? A change of focus from my darkness to His light.

You can experience the same freedom, whether it’s fear of spiders, fear of heights, or any other phobia. Make the shift to look to Jesus, the Light of the World. He’s the only one who can turn quivering dread into a celebration of praise—something He delights to do!! He, more than anyone, wants us to walk out of darkness into His marvelous light. Regardless of the phobia, when we move our focus to Jesus, the Light of the World, the victory belongs to us.

Trust Him to make the paradigm shift. And then let joy bubble out as you laugh in the face of your fear.

“. . .I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12, NKJV

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Author of the award-winning book, Making Crooked Places Straight, Penelope Kaye’s new book, Land Media Interviews Without a Publicist releases in October. A teacher who loves to write, she pens poetry, picture books, and adult non-fiction. Her teaching career spans decades, including writing courses for the local adult community education center. Her devotional, In the Dark and Loving It won “Best Devotional” for the Oregon Writers Cascade Awards.

Join the conversation: Has God delivered you from a fear?