Hey, Carpool Crew! Welcome to Carpooling with Jesus. I'm Pastor Justin, and maybe you're finishing breakfast in the car or wrapping up some homeschool. Either way, I'm glad you're here. And before we jump in, let me give a huge carpool-size shout-out to Corbin, Steele, and Baylor out in Robeline, Louisiana. Three of you on one shout-out. That's a whole crew. You know that dog. The one behind the fence that absolutely loses his mind when you walk by. You're just walking down the sidewalk, minding your own business, and suddenly... BARK! BARK! BARK! Your whole body jumps. Maybe you cross the street. Maybe you walk a little faster. Maybe you're thinking, "There is no chance I'm walking past that dog." But here's the funny thing. The dog is behind a fence. He's still loud. He's still scary. But sometimes fear makes something feel even bigger than it actually is. And here's the one thing I want you to remember for the ride today: **Tell the truth about what scares you.** Listen to this from 1 Samuel 17:45. David said: "You come against me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Armies." I love this. Because David doesn't look at Goliath and say, "You're not scary." That would be ridiculous. Goliath was huge. He had a sword. He had a spear. He had a javelin. He was a trained warrior, and David was a kid standing there with a sling. David tells the truth about what he's facing. But he doesn't stop there. He also tells the truth about God. Basically, David says, "Yep. You've got a sword, a spear, and a javelin. But I've got God." That's what fear sometimes does to us. It gets us staring so hard at the scary thing that we forget everything else that's true. Maybe you're nervous about walking into a new class. Maybe there's a kid at school who makes you uncomfortable. Maybe you're afraid you're going to mess something up. Maybe there's something coming this week that you really don't want to do. Don't pretend it isn't scary. Tell the truth. "I'm nervous about this." "I don't know what's going to happen." "This feels really hard." And then tell the rest of the truth. "God is with me." "God knows what's going to happen." "God is bigger than what I'm afraid of." That's what David understood. Goliath was big. But Goliath wasn't bigger than God. So here's something I want you to try this week. When something starts feeling huge in your head, stop and say two things. First: **What am I actually afraid of?** Name it. Then ask: **What do I know is true about God?** Maybe it's as simple as: "I'm scared to walk into practice today. But God is with me." That's it. You don't have to pretend you're fearless. Courage isn't pretending something isn't scary. Courage is knowing what's true and moving forward anyway. So let's go back to that one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride: **Tell the truth about what scares you.** Tell the truth about the scary thing. And then tell the truth about your God. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, if this podcast is helping your family, check out Carpooling with Jesus+. For less than the cost of a snack run, your kids get bonus episodes every week, including weekends. And one more thing for the crew. Tomorrow there's a brand-new Questions from the Backseat in this same feed, and we're answering a big question: What does it mean to fear God? It's free, so make sure you come back and listen. Before you go, let's answer this question together: **What's something that feels scary right now, and what's one thing you know is true about God?** I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.
