Hey, Carpool Crew. Welcome to Carpooling with Jesus. I'm Pastor Justin. I hope you're having a great Sunday. Now, there's a spider on the ceiling above your bed, and you've turned the lamp back on three times to check if it moved. Yeah, that is a scary moment. So let's jump in with the one thing I want you to remember for the ride. Some scared is smart, some is bossy. Listen to this from Numbers chapter 13 verse 33. "To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them." Here's what's going on. God had promised his people a land to live in, and Moses sent 12 men to go look at it first. When they came back, 10 of them said, "We can't do this. The people there are stronger than we are. They're huge. Next to them, we looked like grasshoppers." Now, part of what they said was true. The people were big. Being careful about that was smart. But listen to what their fear did next. It stopped talking about the giants and it started talking about them. "We're grasshoppers. We're nothing." And it left God out completely. Caleb was one of the 12, and he said something very different. "Let's go up now and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it." Same giants. Caleb just remembered who had promised them the land. That's the difference between smart scared and bossy scared. Smart scared says, "Be careful. That could hurt you." Bossy scared says, "You're tiny. Give up." And it forgets that God is with you. Here's how that works with a spider. Some bugs can hurt you, and the smart thing is to ask a grown-up before you touch anything. That's your scared doing its job. It's protecting you. But the spider in the corner isn't the reason you can't sleep. Your scared keeps going. It stopped talking about the spider and started telling you what to do with your whole night. Now, maybe it's a spider, maybe it's a big dog or a dark part of the basement or a wasp at the picnic table. Ugh, I'm not a big bee, wasp person. Which kind of scared is it? Hey, this week, here's one thing that you can try. When something scares you, ask just one simple question. Is this going to hurt me or is it just kinda gross? If you honestly don't know, go ask a grown-up. That is not chicken. It is wise. That's the smart kind of being scared. And if it's just gross, you can say, "Okay, God's with me. This doesn't get to boss me around," and then go for it. Hey, let's go back to the one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride. Some scared is smart, some is bossy. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, want your kids hearing more truth like this more often? Consider subscribing. We have weekend episodes, goodnight psalms for bedtime, and Carpooling with Heroes of the Bible. You can subscribe on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Now, before you go, let's answer this question together. What's one fear that keeps you safe and one that's just bossing you around? I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.
