The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. –Proverbs 29:25

A passenger in a taxi leaned over to ask the driver a question and gently tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. The driver screamed, lost control of the cab, nearly hit a bus, drove up over the curb, and stopped just inches from a large plate window.

For a few moments, everything was silent in the cab. Then, the shaking driver said, “Are you okay? I’m so sorry, but you scared the daylights out of me.” The badly shaken passenger apologized to the driver and said, “I didn’t realize that a mere tap on the shoulder would startle someone so badly.”

The driver replied, “No, no, I’m the one who is sorry; it’s entirely my fault. Today is my very first day driving a cab. I’ve been driving a hearse for 25 years.”

Fear is something that affects all of us at some time.  As we mature and get older, our fears develop and grow from being afraid of what could be under the bed to maybe, “Will I find a good job or God’s will for my life in marriage?”  The fear in the heart of a child is just as real as the fear of an adult.  Fear is relative to who you are and where you are.  What is trivial to one person might be debilitating to someone else.  The verse for today speaks of another kind of fear—the fear of man.  The fear of man is a real temptation for all of us because it deals with our peers and what people think of us.  The snare, or trap, comes in our life when we are controlled by the fear of what someone may think of us based upon what we do.  Before long we begin to look at everything we do or say—before we do it or say it—through the lens of others.  In reality, as a child of God we should be following His Word and His will for our life and considering most of all what He has already said in the Bible.  Putting your trust in the Lord keeps you safe from the snare of pleasing someone else that is always waiting to trap you.

God bless you today as you care most about what God thinks!

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Jason Atwood

Jason Atwood, Assistant Pastor

Jason Atwood grew up in the Corpus Christi, Texas area, and in November 2006, Pastor Atwood was called to be the first pastor of Heritage Baptist Church of Corpus Christi. The church was meeting in a small one-bedroom house. God blessed, and they moved to a new 5-acre site to allow continued growth. In 2019, God led Pastor Atwood to join our staff. He is a tremendous help to Pastor Trieber in both the church and the college ministry. He is married to Aimee, and they have three boys — Will, Connor, and Jack.