Afraid of All The Things

I received this book free from B&H Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

“The gospel tells me I can’t fix myself. The gospel tells me I can’t protect myself. But the gospel tells me I can rest, knowing that Jesus walked into this broken, sad, and scary place to rescue me and love me and cast out my fear. And He did and He does and He will. Calm is found in the already finished work of Christ.”
-Scarlet Hiltibidal, Afraid of All The Things

I’m a chronic worrier, a planner, preparing myself for the worst case scenario, getting anxiety about things that should definitely not make me anxious. I’m afraid of shootings, tornados, birds, squirrels and mice, public speaking, confrontation, being alone, messing up where everyone can see me, sounding like I don’t know what I’m talking about, and the list goes on and on. From the moment I read the description for Afraid of All the Things, I knew this book was for me.

And from the moment I got this book in my hands, I KNEW that it was for me. The inside cover is a laundry list of fears that she talks about throughout the book, some very real, some a little more random and off-the-wall, like: firenadoes, adult onset food allergies, being asked to serve in children’s ministry, and the home installation guy seeing her passcode. I can so relate to this laundry list on the deepest level lol. And so this book was exactly what I needed when it came to me.

Scarlet’s voice is so hilarious and relatable, it’s like you’re sitting around swapping stories with your best friend. She speaks truth in a real way that isn’t condemning, but from a place of love, respect, and kindness for those she’s speaking to. She reminds us over and over and over again that our fears are nothing against our God, and that’s exactly what I needed to hear.
It took me much longer than it should have to get through this book because I made a resolution to myself that I would stop underlining things in my books, so I had to keep putting the book down to write down quotes on almost every other page. Like, I have pages full of truths and funny quips and quotes that stood out to me throughout the book. But if I took away anything, it is that fear is no match for God. He has defeated death, sin, shootings, tornados, birds, squirrels and mice, public speaking, confrontation, being alone, messing up where everyone can see me, sounding like I don’t know what I’m talking about, and everything in between. And for that reason, I can rest peacefully in Him, knowing that my fears are so insignificant compared to the One who made the Heavens.