Last night something happened in our home that was a mix of both fear and humor. In the middle of the night, I woke up. For some reason, my right hand itched. To relieve the itch, I extended my arm out into the darkness and began scratching. What I didn’t realize was my hand was just inches over Jan’s head. At that moment Jan woke up and saw a dark hand hovering over her face and let out a distressful “What!”

I didn’t realize while experiencing the joy of relieving my itch that to Jan my hand looked like some cheap prop from a B-rated horror movie. When I realized the experience had really startled Jan, I felt horrible and offered a quick explanation, “It’s me!” I went on to explain my itch situation and the reason why my hand was above her face.

As our mutual realization of what happened took place, we began to laugh so hard it woke up our dog. Ladybug began to circle our bed visiting both of us to make sure we were OK. Our laughter became so deep and raucous that we called it a night (way too early), got up, and made some coffee.

While our event last night ended up being funny in retrospect, many people live constantly startled and fearful about events happening in our world. These events are like a dark and unfamiliar hand in the night hovering over their minds until the sound of truth can dispel their fear and suspicion.  

What happens in life can startle us when we don’t know what is actually happening, like it was for Jan last night when she was not sure whose hand was hovering over her face. To be startled is a normal response to the unexpected. What we do with what startles us and opens the door to fear is critical if we want to live a life of faith.  

Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give you is a gift the world cannot give” (John 14: 27). There are some things in this world that will cause us concern, but they should never be allowed to rob us of the gift of peace of mind and heart. Living in an unchecked startled state of fear will prevent us from experiencing the promise of peace of mind and heart, especially when we find ourselves navigating through a challenging season of life when fear and uncertainty lurk in the dark recesses of our minds.