We’re all afraid sometimes. As children, maybe we were afraid of the dark. Afraid of getting lost. Afraid of the monster under the bed.

Maybe you still get that tingle at the back of your neck when you think someone is watching you from the shadows of your closet.

Some children have deeper, darker fears. Children like Charlie.*

Growing up in the Middle East, he had many fears:

• Fear of the people who killed his cousins
• Fear of the people who forced his family to flee their home
• Fear of life in a refugee camp, not knowing what the future held

Along with the other kids in the camp, Charlie tried to play outside like he had before, but those fears gripped his heart so tightly that it kept him shut in and out of sight. It wasn’t just a tingle at the back of his neck, it was an all-consuming, paralyzing fear.

But one conversation changed all of that for Charlie. 

He was told that God loves him, and he was given a Spark magazine. Together with a representative of one of ShareWord Global’s partners, they read through the 12 Truths found in the magazine.

This was the first time Charlie had heard about this God who loves him. And for the first time in a very long time, he no longer felt alone. The fear that had such a strong hold on him began to slip away as he allowed himself to be held tight by God.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

There’s a wave of relief that comes with letting go of fear. When you cling to God, the impossible suddenly feels possible. And that’s how Charlie feels now. He knows he’s no longer lost because God has found him. He’s no longer surrounded by darkness now that he has the light of Jesus in his life. And the monsters under the bed are no match for the strength he’s found in his new faith in Christ.

God is with him. At all times. Because of one conversation, and a little magazine with so much hope. And now Charlie can tell his friends about Jesus. Now, they can play, as children, living without fear and living in Christ.

*name changed