Carried Without Fear

A few days ago, my son by marriage, Matt, sent a video to our family chat.

It was just him walking through the woods with my granddaughter, Indie Mae, riding on his back.

Nothing dramatic.

Just a dad taking his little girl for a walk.

But I couldn’t stop watching it.

What struck me wasn’t where they were going. It was Indie.

She wasn’t hanging on because she was scared. She wasn’t looking over Matt’s shoulder trying to figure out where the trail went. She wasn’t worried about what was around the next bend.

She just kept looking around, smiling at everything she saw.

She looked completely at peace.

Why?

Because she trusted the one carrying her.

As I watched that video, I couldn’t help but think, “That’s exactly how God wants us to live.”

The truth is, at times, I’m not very good at that.

I like knowing what’s next. I like having a plan. I want God to show me where He’s taking me before I trust Him enough to take the next step.

But He usually doesn’t work that way.

He doesn’t hand us a map.

He gives us Himself.

David understood that when he wrote in Psalm 23:4,

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” 

God never promised we’d avoid valleys.

He promised we’d never walk through one by ourselves.

Isaiah says the same thing in Isaiah 43:2:

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you… When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned.” 

Notice He says when, not if.

We’re all going to walk through hard seasons.

The difference isn’t whether we go through them.

The difference is whether we trust the One who’s carrying us.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Rest doesn’t come because life suddenly gets easier.

Rest comes because we stop trying to carry what was never ours to carry.

Peter put it this way:

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 

1 Peter 5:7

Watching Indie Mae, I never once thought, “I wonder if she’s afraid Matt might drop her.”

It never crossed my mind.

She wasn’t thinking about falling.

She was enjoying the walk because she knew her dad.

That’s where God spoke to me.

How much of my energy goes into worrying about tomorrow instead of trusting the Father who’s already there?

Maybe that’s why Proverbs tells us,

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…” 

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust begins where understanding ends.

That doesn’t mean we’ll always understand what God is doing.

There will be days when the trail gets steep. Days when we can’t see around the next corner. Days when nothing makes sense.

But faith has never been about having all the answers.

It’s about knowing the One who does.

Paul wrote these words while sitting in prison in Philippians 4:6-7:

“Do not be anxious about anything… And the peace of God… will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Think about that.

Peace wasn’t waiting for Paul after prison.

Peace met him in prison.

That’s the kind of peace I saw on Indie Mae’s face.

She wasn’t enjoying the trail because she knew where it ended.

She was enjoying the trail because she knew who was carrying her.

I think that’s what our Heavenly Father wants for every one of us.

He never promised to explain every turn in the road.

He promised His presence.

His strength.

His faithfulness.

So whatever you’re carrying today: fear, grief, uncertainty, a diagnosis, financial pressure, or a relationship that feels broken - maybe the invitation isn’t to try harder.

Maybe it’s simply to let your Father carry you.

The Bible ends this thought beautifully in Deuteronomy 33:27:

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

Those words hit differently after watching that little video.

Indie Mae wasn’t fearless because the trail was safe.

She was fearless because her father was carrying her.

And that’s exactly where God invites us to live.

Not trusting the trail. Trusting the Father.