MARCH 22, 2026

  “The monster is only scary while it is in the closet.Once in the light,you can see its many flaws and weaknesses.And often,we end up laughing,at what we shield our eyes from no more.” - Tom Althouse

JOSHUA 7-8

 5And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the gate as far as the quarriesd and striking them down on the slopes. So the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

6Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the LORD until evening, as did the elders of Israel; and they all sprinkled dust on their heads.7“O, Lord GOD,” Joshua said, “why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to be destroyed? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned its back and run from its enemies? 9When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”(7:5-9)

LUKE 2:25-52

 46After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

49“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”^f 50But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

51Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

JOURNAL 

Six years ago, during COVID, fear seemed to grip the entire world. It just showed up in different forms depending on where you stood. Some were convinced the virus itself would devastate humanity, collapsing healthcare systems and wiping out lives at an unimaginable scale. Others were just as certain that the response to the virus, the shutdowns, the isolation, the economic disruption, would lead to financial ruin, societal breakdown, and long-term damage we might never recover from. Either way, doom and gloom felt constant, loud, and inescapable.

Looking back now, what stands out is not the fear itself, but how easy it was for everyone, including me, to get pulled into it. The uncertainty made everything feel fragile. Every headline, every statistic, every opinion seemed to point toward worst-case scenarios. It did not matter which side someone leaned toward. Underneath it all was the same root, fear of what might happen.

And yet, in the middle of that, there was something else available. When I look back through what I wrote and what I leaned on during that time, I see how often God was reminding me of truth. Not in some abstract way, but through Scripture and through the steady reminder of history, both personal and human.

Because when fear takes over, it narrows your vision. It makes you forget everything that has already been carried, sustained, and redeemed. It is exactly what we see with Joshua and the Israelites. One setback and suddenly everything feels lost. They forget the Red Sea, the provision in the wilderness, the victories that came before. Fear rewrites the story in real time.

And that same tendency was alive in me during COVID. It was easy to project outcomes that felt certain in the moment but were ultimately rooted in assumption, not truth. But Scripture kept pulling me back. It reminded me that this was not new. Humanity has faced collapse, pandemics, wars, and uncertainty over and over again. And every time, God has remained steady.

What is humbling is that when I look back now, I do not primarily remember the fear. I remember the time together, the slowing down, the unexpected moments of connection and even joy. The very season that felt like it might unravel everything did not define us the way it once seemed like it would.

That is the lesson that sticks. Fear feels powerful in the moment, but it is often built on projections that never fully materialize. Truth, on the other hand, is grounded. It reminds us not just of what could happen, but of what has already happened, and how God has been present through all of it.

He was faithful then. He had been faithful long before that. And He will be faithful again.

  6Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”b

Deuteronomy 31:6