Scared of Getting Hurt? What Jesus Would Say

Hey, Carpool Crew. I'm Pastor Justin. Now, maybe you're headed to school, finishing up breakfast, or just sitting down for some homeschool. I'm really glad you're here. Now, you know when you get hurt doing something, and now you don't wanna do any of it ever again? Even the safe parts of it? Yeah, I've been there. Now let's jump in with the one thing I want you to remember for the ride. Ask if the fear is helping. Listen to this from Proverbs 4:26. "Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all of your ways will be established." Here's what's going on. Proverbs 4 is a dad teaching his kid how to live wisely, and he says, "Look carefully at where you're walking. Think about the path before you step on it. Notice what that is and what that isn't. It isn't close your eyes and hope for the best, and it isn't stay inside for the rest of your life. It's look, see what's actually there, then walk. That's what fear is supposed to help you do. When you get hurt, part of you remembers, and that part is trying to keep you safe. That's a good thing. God made you that way. But here's what happens. You didn't wreck on the sidewalk. You wrecked on a ramp somebody built out of a couple of boards and a couple of cinder blocks, and the board slipped. That's what hurt you, and it happens. But your fear didn't stop at ramps. It grew. Now it covers the driveway, the sidewalk, riding on your bike at all. We don't want that. See, careful means looking at what actually hurt you, and being careful about the ramp is smart. Quitting the whole bike isn't careful. It's fear that stopped helping. Maybe it's the bike. Maybe it's the monkey bars after you fell. Maybe it's swimming after you got a little water up your nose or the trampoline or trying out again after you got hurt in a game. Hey, this week, here's something I want you to try. Ask your fear just two questions. What exactly hurt me? And is that thing here right now? Then go ask your parents, and do the smallest safe version of it just to get back into it. See, I'm not doing the ramp, but I can go on the sidewalk. I can still ride my bike. That's okay. Now let's go back to the one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride. Ask if the fear is helping. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, if you want more encouragement like this during the week, follow us on Instagram or TikTok. We post simple reminders and clips you can share with your kids or your friends to let them know about the podcast. Now, before you go, let's answer this question together. What is something you quit all of when really only one part of it went wrong? I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.