Welcome to 10 minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work.

I'm Jensen Holt McNair.

When I was little I was afraid of the dark. I always had a nightlight and frequently called out for my parents to come and make sure that no one

was hiding in the dark corners of my room.

As I grew up, I became afraid of spiders.

I lived in a room in our basement, so I often called for my dad to come downstairs

and save me from the many spiders that I encountered. Then I became afraid of Heights.

Despite riding in airplanes fairly often to visit my parents, that fear has never left me.

I still have to watch a video of a pilot explaining how planes work before I fly,

so that I can tell myself that we aren't going to plummet to the ground every time we hit turbulence.

And as I've gotten older, my fears have changed. They've gotten bigger and more complex. When I think about all that I'm afraid of now,

it doesn't just have to do with physical things I encounter, like darkness,

spiders and airplanes. I can see that many of my fears are immaterial fears. I'm afraid of what others might think of me. I'm afraid of being

all alone. I'm afraid of losing the people I love, losing my community. I'm afraid of not

belonging somewhere. And just like my other fears, those fears cause me to take action to protect myself.

Instead of calling out to my parents for help or learning everything I can about airplanes to calm my nerves,

I try to make sure that I never mess up. Never step out of line so people can't be mad at me, disappointed in me, walk away from me. I make sure I look

presentable when I go to church and that my kids behave when we're in public so people won't think

poorly of me as a mom. I desperately try to be a good mom so that one day

when my kids are teenagers they'll still want to hang out with me and when I'm old they'll help take

care of me. See my fear of losing the respect and love of the people

around me guides so much of my thought life, choices, and actions. I'm motivated by my fears. In John 9, we're introduced to a man who has been

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