In reading Mark 5:35-43, the words that leap out at me are in verse 36: “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” (NIV) I think this is a foundational tenet of walking with God through life. Some people use the saying “Let go and Let God,” and I think it’s a helpful mantra during difficult times.
Times like:
Beginnings and endings are probably the hardest transitions – and often the most fear-laden. The Disciples faced unbearable fear with the Crucifixion. They thought it was the end, but came to believe through the Resurrection. If Easter teaches us nothing else, it teaches us these things.
I see this verse as a reminder to let go of the past and walk bravely into the future, because God is with us in the here and now.
Like a father leading us across the street when we’re young, God is reaching out to guide us and asking us to “not be afraid; just believe.”
Take the hand of God. God’s got this. And with God as our guide, so do we.
- The illness of ourselves, our family, our friends, or our pets.
- Starting a new job or losing an old job.
- Moving to a new place or leaving a familiar home.
- Starting a school year or graduating from college.
- The birth of a child or the loss of a parent.
- Starting a race or making it to the top of a mountain.
- Even getting out of bed in the morning or going to sleep at night. (Or is that just me?)
Beginnings and endings are probably the hardest transitions – and often the most fear-laden. The Disciples faced unbearable fear with the Crucifixion. They thought it was the end, but came to believe through the Resurrection. If Easter teaches us nothing else, it teaches us these things.
I see this verse as a reminder to let go of the past and walk bravely into the future, because God is with us in the here and now.
Like a father leading us across the street when we’re young, God is reaching out to guide us and asking us to “not be afraid; just believe.”
Take the hand of God. God’s got this. And with God as our guide, so do we.
by Michel Hudson
