Fear cripples every living thing, but God shows us how to overcome.

The north wind blew strong, bitter; the very chill that comes with the bite of snow. Winter was still showing her teeth no matter that it was officially five days into spring.

The cats snuggled in their warm buildings with their bellies full. Everyone that is, but Axyl.

He likes to play a game with me, and being a cat, he only comes in when it suits him or when it’s about to rain. I nicknamed him my weather barometer. Life clockwork, Axyl came home a few hours before it rained.  Sometimes he was gone a week, sometimes just a few days, but bitter cold was not his thing.

I walked around the front of the house that was out of the wind. There he sat. A blanket had fallen down between the seat and the back of the metal bench. Axyl used the blanket as a kitty shield. He was stiff with fear.

Fear that he had been forgotten. He meowed when he saw me, and ran away like he didn’t trust me. Fear had such a hold on him. I bent down, and he came straight to me, nudging me with his head. I scooped him up, feeling his rough fur. His fur had been transformed by his stress. He trembled in my arms.

Now Axyl is not a feral cat. He just had a moment where he felt forgotten and cold. Cold had a bitter hold on him.

I felt like Axyl once. Alone, cold, lost, forgotten. I was unemployed for the first time since I was 16. One bitter cold moment, and my faith dissolved into the darkness of fear. Two words bounced in my head.

What now?

I read that the Bible references fear 365 times. Let that sink in for a moment. Fear is so important that we need a reminder every single day. God knew the power that fear holds, so he gave us enough defenses against for every single day of our lives.

That cold day in February I needed the reminder, as I felt alone and forgotten. I, like Axyl, felt unable to move, unable to make another step, just curled up in a ball in a shock, feeling forgotten.

But God had not forgotten me.

God sent people to find me, message me, call me. They answered the phone when I called. I sat in the parking lot with my list of things I needed to pick up that day. It seemed so unimportant now. The people who answered my call told me it’s going to be OK. You will bounce back. And most importantly, I believe in you.

I found that people came out of the woodwork of my life to show up and say, it’s going to be ok. It’s going to be ok. How did they know it would ever be Ok? I certainly did not. And yet they showed up.

God sent me hope in the form of everyday angels. And I will always be grateful for them.

I carried Axyl to the warmth of the shop. Axyl nudged my chin with his head, and he purred. The texture of his fur softened. I set him down inside, but he didn’t go to the food. He rubbed against me, and his eyes shone with gratitude and love.

I know times seem difficult and scary, and the world might seem a little dark right now. It is now we must look to God, trust in him and have hope.

In Isaiah 43:1-4: But how, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2. When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you and people in exchange for your life.”

Fear not, for I have redeemed you… and look for your everyday angels.