I live in the desert in the Southwest United States and I really enjoy the variety of cacti that are on display in the wild areas around me and in my neighborhood.

I especially like the seguaros, those tall, majestic cactus with arms that are the symbol of the American desert. They frequently appear in cartoons and movies. But there are many other varieties of cacti in the wild and in the landscape arrangements of the houses in my neighborhood. Each variety has a beauty that makes it distinct from the others.

But when you examine each one, some have holes in them from birds building nests. Others have parts of them that survived less than ideal conditions or downright abuse. Lack of water, animials, humans, and harsh condtions can cause them damage.

But they survive.

Until recently, when I would see this type of damage I would think it a shame that those conditions would have to be overcome. I would often get frustrated and think that the damage, the scars, on display marred the cactus and made it less than it should be.

But I am realizing that those wounds turned to scars also give each cactus a particular beauty. They have encountered difficulties and overcome them. They continue to grow despite the damage.

Then I think of myself and the people around me. In a fallen world, which is less than we would like it to be, we incur physical and emotional damage as we progress through life.

But we survive.

For the Christian, we rely on the promise of God that somehow each of these hurts, each of the scars, somehow will work out for our good and God’s glory (Romans 8:28). So instead of being embarrassed by the scars, we should instead look at them as a testament to the ability of God to get us through the hard times.

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In the churches of my youth, I was certainly taught the right way to behave. Or, at least, I was taught the right way to behave which was consistent with the leaders’ understanding of the Bible. Those churches were good at producing conformity among the congregants.

This conformity is not a bad thing in itself, but the danger is that the behavior of the people in those circles can be more heavily influenced by what other people think than about what God thinks. In other words, it can produce outward conformity without heart change.

Or, to put it another way, such a system can change behavior without changing desires. When operating in such a system, I can do the right thing for the wrong reason.

In thinking about this, my thoughts were directed to Jesus’ discourse recorded in John 15 where he begins:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:1–4, NASB 95)

In verses 4 through 10 of John 15, Jesus uses the Greek verb meno 10 times. This verb carries the meaning of remain, stay, or reside and a common translation into English is abide. In the very first use of this verb quoted above in verse 4, it is in the form of a command when Jesus said, “abide in me.”

Abiding is not an activity as much as it is a mental state. One does not try harder to abide, one simply abides. It is an exercise in inactivity rather than activity. Sloths are very good at abiding.

I have always been intrigued and encouraged by Psalm 46:10 in which God encourages us to “be still” or “cease striving” and know that He is God. This is not a call to frenzied activity. This is not a call to strategic planning and execution. This is a call to acknowledge and revel in our relationship with God.

In Scripture, God promises to work things out for his glory and our ultimate good. If we can rest in that knowledge, then we are less likely to be overwhelmed by life in a fallen and broken world.

If we rest, abide, remain, stay, and reside in Jesus, and seek his comfort and instruction, then we can move forward in confidence instead of allowing our circumstances to push us to an unhelpful or sinful response.

Think of abiding in Jesus the next time you see a picture of a sloth . . .

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:18–19, NASB 95)

Admittedly, I am a slow learner about some things. It has been a long process for me to see how fear has often made my life more difficult. By responding out of fear, I have often said or did the wrong thing.

The difficulty for me comes in determining what is healthy fear (or respect) and when I have crossed over into unhealthy fear, fear that is the opposite of love.

Certainly it is right to be afraid of things or situations that are truly dangerous. Gravity remains in place, fire still burns, and Houston, Texas is still a haven for thieves. Therefore, we need to be careful on ladders, take adequate precaution when dealing with fire, and never leave your backpack in your car when you eat lunch in Houston (I know this from personal experience).

Also, there is nothing wrong about planning and preparation in the event that some unplanned situation will arise. Saving money for retirement, having medical insurance, and striving to be debt free, fall into this category. Scripture encourages us that wisdom requires us to act on evaluations of this sort.

“Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise,” (Proverbs 6:6, NASB 95)

But there are other situations where I have little or no control where fear is not wise or helpful. For example, we have little control over the officials in our government. In the USA, we can vote, we can contact our officials, we can protest decisions that are made, but beyond that there is nothing we can do. So, living in constant fear of what will be decided cannot affect the situation and only makes me nervous and unhappy.

I have also found that fear can have a detrimental effect on relationships. If I am in constant fear of saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing, I cannot be a good partner in a relationship. While attempting to keep a loved one from making a bad decision, if I am responding out of fear, it is likely that my advice will not be helpful and it will damage the relationship.

John, in the verse quoted at the beginning of this post, tells us that the antidote to unhealthy and unwise fear is love. Not only is it love, it is perfect love, which is only found in my relationship with my Heavenly Father.

There is much more to write about this than can be contained in one blog post, but I am slowly learning that because I am loved by God I can rest in his promises to me as an individual, and to Christians as a group. Therefore I don’t need to worry about how things will turn out. I don’t need to fear the outcome of any particular relationship or problem.

I am slowly learning to trust that God will ultimately fix what is wrong and he will complete what he has begun (see Phil 1:6).

Learning to trust God gives me confidence, not because I am in control or smart enough to prevent disaster, but because God is. Learning to trust in God’s love has put me in a better position to respond to others out of love and not fear. When I respond out of love, I am a better husband, father, employee, church leader, etc.

The verse that comes to mind is Psalm 46:10 (NASB 95):

“Cease striving and know that I am God . . .”

God has opened the door for me to go on a short-term mission trip to Istanbul, Turkey with Scottsdale Bible Church June 27 – July 6, 2025. We will be sharing God’s love and will be serving the Lord by ministering to Syrian refugees living in Turkey.

God is opening my eyes to a world that is in desperate need of understanding the love of Jesus. While it would be so easy to remain in my comfort zone and let others go on this trip, I am convinced that God is asking me to be a part of the team. While I am sure that God will use us to shine his love in the midst of the unrest in that region, I’m also convinced that I have lessons to learn through my participation.

My reason for writing to you is twofold. First, I am earnestly requesting your prayer support. We know that nothing of eternal value happens without prayer. Please pray for me and our team, and for people to see the love of God through us.

Second, I am asking if you would prayerfully consider helping me with the costs of this mission trip. The total cost will be $3,100 and is due by May 27. This will cover all our travel and lodging as well as ministry supplies.

If you would like to support me financially in this mission experience, you can give online with a credit or debit card by visiting this link.

If you would prefer to donate by check, please email me back with your mailing address and I will send you a postage paid envelope which you can use to make the donation. I will include instructions for making the donation in the mail.

All contributions are tax deductible.

You are very important to me. Thank you for praying. Thank you also for considering to be a part of my support team.

If you would like more information about the trip, please click here.