Ursula's In The Closet

Everyone has their fears.

Some people are afraid of spiders.

Some get the creeps by just looking at a snake.

Heights make some grown men scream like a little girl,

and if you watch enough Maury, you'll find out that some people are even afraid of cotton balls.

We all have our fears.

And when I was growing up, I had a lot.

I thought Ursula  lived in my closet,

I wouldn't see  Lilo and Stitch, even if it was about a good alien,

And I never will get over the " Are You Afraid of The Dark?" intro.

But my biggest fear, hands down, the fear that paralyzed me and made mall trips extremely difficult-

Escalators. Specifically, those going down.

I don't knowwhat it was about them. I was fine going up. I could ride those like a champ.

But there was something about going down.

Maybe it was the continuous movement of those never ending stairs.

Or maybe it was that old wives tale about a kid whose shoelace got stuck in an escalator and he ended up losing his leg.

Maybe I just understood at a young age that I was extremely clumsy and that the likelihood of my falling going down was much greater then when I was going up.

Either way, there was only one way I got on those escalators-

My mother had to reach out, take my hand, and ride on the step in front of me, never letting go.

And we got along OK like that. At least, for a little while.

Until one day, she took me and my little brother to the mall.

And she decided to take his hand on the downward staircase of doom.

And when she looked up, halfway down the escalator, she saw I wasn't behind her.

I was standing at the top of the escalator crying, no, screaming, for anyone to help me through my biggest fear.

And my poor, sweet mother had to turn around, pick up my little brother, and run up the down escalator, to come and rescue me.

Only this time, she didn't take my hand.

I'm sure she was irritated.

I'm sure she was embarrassed.

I'm sure she was sweaty from running up a down escalator with a 3 year old in tow.

So this time, she laid down the law. This time she said

"I'm going to go first. I'll be on the step right in front of. Just step, stand still, and hold on."

I think we all need that.

It seems so much easier to just stand at the top of the escalator when we're going through scary times.

It's in those scary times that we want someone to help us through.

Times that we're unsure of what's ahead.

Times that we can't seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Times that we would rather do anything then make any sort of move.

And the great thing is, we all have that.

God has promised us, since Moses walked the Earth, that he will go ahead of us when we're the most scared.

When we're the most unsure.

When we need the most help.

He promises this in Exodus 15:14.

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still". 

He will look in the closet to make sure Ursula's not there.

He will turn off "Are You Afraid of The Dark" when we're too scared to move from under our covers.

He will stand on the escalator in front of us, make sure that our shoes are tied, and show us that everything is going to be OK.

And the greatest thing about it?

The greatest part about a God that loves us so much that he will fight our scariest battles when we're just not brave enough to?

We don't have to do anything.

We only have to take that step, hold on, be still and know he's one step ahead of us.