Remember Garfield? Garfield is relaxing in his warm cozy chair watching television, while outside a fierce storm is raging. Through the window Garfield spots one of his buddies shivering and freezing. Garfield is overcome with emotion and exclaims, “I can’t just sit here and watch him freeze. I’ve got to do something?” With that he jumps up, runs to the window, and closes the blinds!

Garfield is not alone. Drawing the drapes and closing the blinds on ugly reality is not just in the comics. When we’re faced with evil, there seems to be a little voice that says, “What you’re looking at is too much for you, so you better run.” It’s the voice of fear.

Fear makes us run from what is ugly, sinister or broken around us, outside us and even in us!

Mentally we just can’t deal with it so we close our eyes and draw our inner blinds. We might hum a happy tune, shop till we drop, get lost in the music, or have another glass of wine. We pretend I’m OK and your OK.

We don’t dare look at the problem because it can’t be fixed – now or ever.

A Japanese legend says that we have three faces. The first face we show to the world, putting our best appearance for all to see. The second face we show to our family and close friends, probably a truer depiction of who we are. The third face is the one we never show anyone. That is the truest reflect of who we really are.

We can be fearful of facing the truth and showing our real selves. We may be afraid that we will not be loved, accepted or criticized.

But there is another choice. God gives us a better alternative. We can turn to God in complete honesty to set us free from our permanent prison of fear.

God has no intention of letting evil triumph in our world or in us. God will not abandon us to the prisons that our fears and failures keep locking us into.

God is calling out to us, urging us to pull back the blinds and open our eyes to see what’s there, what needs healing, and what needs heavenly light.

God is telling us not to be afraid…even in the face of adversity. God already knows!

That is God’s desire for us. And God has the power to make it happen if we will trust enough to open our eyes, and put it all in God’s hands.

May God grant us the grace to face the dark and to put our trust in him