What Are You Afraid Of?

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

Can you remember what some of your earliest fears were as a child? Maybe you were afraid of falling off a bike or afraid of heights. Or maybe like me, it was a little deeper.

I lived in India with my grandparents from age two to five. When my parents moved me back to the United States, they immediately enrolled me in school. At the time, my native language was Telugu. I could understand English and speak a few words of it, but I wasn’t fluent. And to my dismay, as early as the first day of school, kids laughed at me when I struggled to answer questions and carry on conversations in English.

Decades later, I can still remember the shame I felt when everyone was laughing at me in that classroom—that’s how profound the impact was. 

This change-who-you-are hurt left me with intense fears. I realized for the first time that the world was not a safe place. I hated the feeling of being embarrassed…