What to do when you're afraid

Linda Hitt Shaver

Chet and John lived in the country, so they were able to have a horse. One day while they were playing football in the yard, a scary thing happened. Their horse got out of her pasture and began galloping along the road—right down the middle. The road went up a steep hill, and the boys knew that at the top cars coming from the other side would not be able to see her in time to stop.

The boys ran to Mom, and she ran to get the car. At the same time, Mom asked God to direct her to the right thing to do. Right away an idea came to her, from a hymn in the Christian Science Hymnal: "stars in their courses never contend."^{See Hymnal, No. 236.} Mom thought the words could mean that God keeps all of His ideas right where they need to be. Mom figured this thought was God's way of taking away fear. It told her God's law of love cares for His whole creation, including every creature, just as He cares for the stars.

Many stories in the Bible tell about thoughts people got that told them they didn't have to be afraid. To Mom this message from God was like messages Elijah got. First Kings tells how "the word of the Lord" told him where he would find food and shelter when he needed it.^{See I Kings 17:1-9.}

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