Greater Than Fear

GREATER THAN FEAR

Today is April 31 and the northern hemisphere should have been celebrating spring and rebirth, instead the whole world was mourning the death of civilization. A whole fleet of alien ships had suddenly invaded the earth and were wreaking annihilation and destruction everywhere they went. The world had been overwhelmed so quickly that no one had a chance to respond to the attack.

Many chose suicide but Gregory Johnson and his grandmother chose to fight on. They were hunkered down in his house praying and hoping. Greg jumped when another loud explosion shook the neighborhood.

“Grandma, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay Gregory, a little boom is not enough to detonate my nerves.”

Her perky reply eased his mind as he ran into her cozy room. She was upright in the hospital bed with a collection of Peanuts comic strips on her lap. Even at the edge of her life and amidst all the strange times they were experiencing she was still enjoying Charlie Brown and telling corny jokes.

Her thinning gray hair was neatly brushed framing her clear brown eyes and beaming brown face.

“You know a little jiggle will only make me giggle. So don’t let a little rocking, set your knees to knocking.”

Grandmother and grandson both shared a good laugh as he approached her bed.

“Grandma, you are amazing. Here you are fighting for your life but no one would ever know it after seeing your glowing smile.”

Evelyn reached out to him. Greg could feel her lean, dark hand tremble on his arm. He had watched her body wither away in the last two weeks until she was thin as a broomstick. He knew that no one had ever survived the alien flu but he was still hopeful. He looked at her with a tear in his eye as he said a silent prayer, “Lord, please heal my grandma, I know how much you love her and how much she loves you.”

Evelyn kept her hand on his shoulder, doing her best to reassure him. “You are a great man Gregory, I feel so loved and taken care of by you. But don’t worry God is not done with me yet. He put me here to carry His light. No matter how beat up this old lamp is, His light can still shine brightly.”

“Aren’t you the least bit frightened grandma?”

“Of course I’m fearful, sometimes I want to curl up into a fetal position and cry but that won’t make the situation go away. The Lord is still sovereign and we can hold on to that no matter how bad it gets. Even when things seem impossible and we are scared out of our wits He is still with us.

Greg wanted to be strong for her but wasn’t sure he could overcome his own fears. How could he give everything to God but still use the sense and strength the Lord had given him.

“Lord, thank you for what you are doing in grandma. Please let her example give me the faith and your power to be of service during these scary times. Show us Lord how to deal with these invaders and teach me to rely on you and not my own strength or wisdom.”

He listened for an answer to his prayer but only heard silence. Greg's thoughts were disrupted by the sound of more explosions and screams from outside.

“Man, here they come again. First they disrupt all our weather, cause earthquakes, spread disease and if that is not enough they attack our homes with those green beams that blow up everything they touch.”

Greg ran out onto the street to see what was happening.The Harris’s family house shattered and collapsed. Jackie Harris was running up the street carrying young Deshaun. Her husband Ray, was caring their daughter Alia in one arm as he ran.

Greg waved them in his direction. “Come on folks you can stay with us.”

The Harris family ran up his porch without slowing down. Down the street more homes were being reduced to splinters by the ferocious onslaught of an invading ship. The deadly aircraft looked like a flying octopus with beams of destruction shooting from every tentacle. The ship turned toward’s Greg’s house and seemed to look right at him. Sheer terror ignited him and he dove back into the house slamming the door.

“It’s coming back around for us. Everybody get ready. He turned to protect his grandmother and saw her holding little Alia in her arms. She was stroking the girl’s curly head and cooing softly.

“Don’t worry baby, the Lord will protect us.”

She looked around at the frightened people in her home and took charge. Ray Harris had his arms around his wife who was pale and shaking. “Everybody come over hear and pray with me.”

They all clustered around her bed forming a loose circle and Evelyn began to pray.

“Lord you know we are powerless over these invaders but we know that you are not. You created the whole universe and you still have dominion over every single thing. We ask that you save us from this threat. And Lord, please forgive these people whoever they are and if there is anyway we can share your love with them show us how to reach them.”

The door flew open and five more neighbors crowded into the room. They all gathered around Evelyn as her beautiful voice cut through the terror singing “Amazing Grace.” Neighbors of every make and model joined her loudly proclaiming how God had found them and saved them no matter how wretched their lives were.

Booming explosions made the house shake like an airliner flying through a thunderstorm but they held on to one another and kept singing. The more they sang the louder their voices became. People who had never heard the song before found the lyrics pouring out of their hearts and through their mouths. A sense of unity and purpose replaced the sprit of fear in their small sanctuary. Slowly the explosions started moving away from the old ranch house. One by one the impromptu choir stilled their voices until only the strong clear voices of Greg and Evelyn continued the song.

Nora O’Reilly reached out and gently took Evelyn’s hand in hers. Her clear blue eyes caught her neighbor in a loving gaze. Her soft lilting voice was filled with awe.

“Listen, I think they are gone darlin’.”

Silence filled the room as all the neighbors stared at each other with wonder.

Nora breathed out a long slow sigh as her husband Sean embraced her.

“I don’t know why we are all still alive but something happened in this room when we were all singing. Am I the only one that experienced a comforting presence fill me?”

Evelyn handed Alia to her mom Jackie and reached out to Nora.

“What you felt was the Holy Spirit filling you and this home. The Comforter is always there for us even when we don’t know it.

Jeff Blackstone from across the street chuckled quietly.

“I felt a great unity with all of you but I am not ready to say what I experienced was the presence of God. Mrs. Johnson you are an amazing woman and I am very grateful for what you did today. No matter what happened today I know that we are all in this together and that if we stick together we can face this horrible situation and amazing things can happen.”

Evelyn smiled gently at her young neighbor from across the street.

“Jeff, even though you didn’t say it I love you too and I am so glad you are my neighbor. Thank you so much for your encouraging words, I hope and pray we all stick together and lift each other up. “

The room erupted in conversations as various neighbors started voicing their opinions about what happened. Every one agreed that something amazing had just happened but almost no one agreed about what it was that just happened or how to survive the attack.

Greg took the opportunity to check on the rest of the neighborhood. When he opened the door he was greeted with devastation. Every house in the neighborhood was completely destroyed. Tears filled his eyes as he thought about all the people he knew on his block and the streets around him. He lingered on his porch and cried out to God.

“Lord, how could you let this happen? So many lives snuffed out. Children, women and men meeting a tragic end today. Now only few of us are left alive.”

He was startled when he heard a prompting inside of him.

“Be of good cheer. I have saved many more and you will lead them to comfort and hope. You are not alone, there are others to share this burden with you.”

Greg looked around like someone was playing a trick on him.

“Me, Lord? You want to use me? Aren’t you mistaking me for my grandmother?”

Greg waited for a reply but none came so he slumped back into the house.

Every head turned to his dour expression as he entered. He plopped down onto the floor and everyone waited for him to speak.

“It’s total destruction out there. Looks like this is the only house left standing. “

Evelyn slid out of her bed for the first time in weeks and strode purposely over to him. Greg was shocked at her sudden recovery.

“Grandma, what are you doing? You should be back in bed.”

“No baby, no more bed for me, I feel fine.”

She gave him a stern look.

“I know we are all devastated but I know the Lord is giving you the strength to overcome your fears. I also know He spoke to you out on the porch and you have things to do, so let me see my sturdy grandson, I know he is in there.”

Greg looked up at her in shock. How could she know what he had heard on the porch? Evelyn’s stern look turned into a soft grin.

“Do you think you are the only one the Holy Ghost speaks to? I know he is calling you and I also know he wouldn’t lead you without giving you what you need to follow him. Get up off the floor and get going.”

The struggle inside of Greg continued. His fears were almost overwhelming and he knew that he didn’t have what it took to lead others.

“Grandma I can’t …”

She cut him off with a firm voice, “Don’t even finish that sentence Gregory Johnson. God has called you and He has given you what it takes. This world is hurting and he is calling you to reach out to his children. He even uses scared little chickens like us.”

She looked into his frightened face and giggled.

“Like he told Gideon when he was hiding in a pit, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.’ ”

The more she stared at his confused face the more she giggled until she leaned her head back and laughed out loud. Soon her infectious joy filled Greg as well and they both laughed until tears were rolling down their faces. He stood up and put his arm around her shoulder and smiled as a powerful resolve filled him with new courage.

“Look at us grandma, a couple of fools thinking we can make a difference for others against an overwhelming force when we can barely help ourselves. It’s a good thing we don’t have to do it alone.”

He looked around the room full of frightened survivors. “Who wants to go with me? I know it’s risky, but we need to find food, supplies, shelter and other survivors. He headed towards the door followed by Jeff Blackstone, Assan Malik, Nora and Sean O’Reilly plus a teenage girl from up the street named Trudy. Greg recognized the purple haired teen who was always sliding her skateboard over the top of his cast iron fence.

The small group stopped on the porch and peered around at the ruins of their old neighborhood. Some stared in wide eyed shock. Trudy fell to her knees on the porch and started wailing. “I stormed out of our house before the attack because I was angry with mom and dad and now there is nothing left of our house. Nora held Trudy in a gentle hug as she sobbed onto her shoulder.

Greg had no idea how to console the poor kid. How could he be a help so many who had lost so much.

“Do you need to stay here Trudy?’

She looked up from Mrs. O’Reilly’s shoulder and shook her head slowly.

“Thanks Mr. Johnson but I’m hoping my parents are still alive somewhere. I’m not going to find them hiding from my grief in your house.”

“Okay, anyone else having second thoughts?”

No one replied.

Greg’s eyes were drawn to a lone maple tree standing several blocks away and he marched off in that direction. The small band of survivors kept checking the sky for invaders as they cautiously stepped around cracked concrete, burned out cars and water flowing out of mangled pipes. It took them twenty minutes to reach the maple tree. Greg stopped and looked around.

“Jesus, where are you leading me?”

Next to the tree was a set of heavy iron doors placed in the worn concrete. Trudy was already tugging on a heavy iron handle trying to open the door.

“Hey, can someone give me a hand here. This thing is heavy.”

Assan rushed over and joined her at the handle. The iron door slowly opened with a low moan to reveal a set of stairs leading down to the darkness below. Jeff pulled a small flashlight out of his pocket and illuminated the concrete steps. Greg started down the stairs and the whole group followed him.

The dark passage lead to another large iron door that was set in the concrete wall. He pounded on the door and listened for a reply. After several minutes the door creaked open and the muzzle of a shotgun poked out of the door. Greg raised his hands and everyone behind him stopped moving and stood silently.

“We are here to help, we mean you no harm.”

A dark haired man peered over the gun out into the hall.

“¿Quién es?”

Greg’s raised hands were shaking but he stepped towards the shotgun with what he hoped was a friendly smile.

“Do you speak English? We mean you no harm.”

The man stepped out of the door keeping his gun leveled at Greg. He looked at the others and lowered his weapon.

“Sorry, we thought we were the only survivors. We didn’t know if you were those murdering aliens or not. “

Greg cautiously extended his hand.

“I’m Greg Johnson from up the street and we are all your neighbors.”

The cautious man shook Greg’s hand and nodded.

“I’m Juan Gonzales nice to meet you. Come in and meet the others.”

The small band followed Greg and Juan through the door.

The shelter contained row after row of military style bunk beds and smelled of sweat and disinfectant. There were at least two hundred people inside of the large dormitory. A thin grey haired woman came forward and greeted them all.

“Madre mia, I am so glad to see you. We have been praying for God to send us other survivors and here you are.“

She smiled at Greg and embraced him in a friendly hug. “My name is Manuelita Gonzales but everyone calls me Abuela.”

Greg silently reached out for help, “Thank you, Lord, for leading us to these people, you know how little I have, how would you like me to serve them?”

He was so concerned about everyone else he forgot about his own fears. Trudy dashed off to look for her parents and Greg introduced himself to many of the frightened residents. The others spread out among the people in the shelter. Jeff approached a family holding a crying little boy with a large bandage on his arm, “I’m a doctor how can I help?”

Mr. and Mrs. O’Reilly found a large kitchen stocked with food and started prepping to cook for everyone.

Greg hoped that more would be welcome in the shelter. He asked Abuela if he could bring others into the barracks.

“Of course they can come, if we are going to survive we all need to stick together.”

Greg waved Assan over and asked him to lead the people huddled in his home to the shelter.

“Tell them we have found a safe place to stay. There is enough space here to house us all and being underground should protect us from the attacks.”

Abuela approached Greg and led him towards the door.

“Well, Gregito, I know that the Lord sent you to us for a reason. I know how dangerous it is but It is time for us to get up and get going if we are going to help all these people. We can’t just hide out in this shelter forever. ”

Greg knew that his grandma and Abuela were going to be great friends.

“Okay Abuela, you know it won’t be easy, not much has survived out there, I hope you are prepared for that. I am praying that God can lead us to a warehouse full of food and medical supplies. But more important I hope He leads us to other survivors. Let’s go.”

Today had been an agonizing day of death and destruction and the world would never be the same. Greg realized that April 31 was also a day of new birth for him. The dire situation had opened a deep well of courage and conviction inside of him and he new that God would give him the strength to answer that call.