When I was younger, I was afraid of the dark. I would lay awake terrified of what I couldn’t see, letting my mind wander to thoughts of monsters and made-up dangers beyond the edge of my bed. The good news: there was a solution. All I had to do was plug in a nightlight and I was set. The glow cast light onto each of my dark bedroom walls and reached into the scary corners I couldn’t see. There were still shadows across the room that seemed so daunting to my younger, overly-imaginative self, but I managed to stay brave in the darkness as long as that light was shining.

I’m no longer a child, but I feel like I still live my life in the same way. When I stand at the edge of the future, staring into the unknown, there are so many questions I have and answers that I crave. It’s as though I’m five again, staring into a pitch-black room, letting my imagination run off. And just like when I was younger, I let my mind wander. I let it stray into fear and timidness. “You won’t do anything important. You won’t measure up. You won’t glorify anyone but yourself.” You don't need these monsters under the bed. These are the real, big kid, grown up monsters that we need to be wary of now.

So we lay there, afraid and nervous of our unknown. And what can we do? You have two choices. You can stay, frozen with all that you don’t know, or you can plug in a nightlight. You can invite God into the spaces that you fear. Invite the Lord into those places that keep you awake at night, and I promise He will answer. The King of Kings has explicitly told us that he will protect us through anything we face. Any fear, any trial, any doubt, the God of the Universe wants to hold your hand while you walk through it. Psalm 23:4 says, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me."

There are still shadows on the walls, dark corners that make us hesitate. But Hebrews 13:5 says “For God has said, I will never fail you, I will never abandon you.” The never-ending, never-ceasing, never-slowing light of God casts out darkness, and with it, it casts out fear. With that truth in your heart and mind, you can rest easily and peacefully, knowing that the darkness has indeed been pushed away by the light. Your unknowns are nothing more than just that: unknowns. And that shouldn’t bring fear or doubt, but instead, it should bring an overwhelming peace and genuine excitement that comes with knowing that the Creator of the World is on your side, ready to walk you through your next chapter.

Psalm 27:1 says “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” Let it be true for you. Invite him into your dark spaces; into your unknowns. He is your light, and he will protect you always, I promise.