Sunday, August 13, 2006
Fear Not
Praise God for giving us just enough good and alert people on our side to stop the terrorist attempt earlier this week. How frightening to be reminded that we really are not invulnerable to these genuinely bad guys out there. A good friend of my family’s visited us on leave from Afganistan, and when he was telling us about some of his experiences, he used the words “bad guys” in reference to who they were fighting over there. For some reason, hearing that term come from a soldier who was fighting in an honest-to-goodness war zone made it hit home for me: There really are very bad guys out there who hate us and what we cherish, like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thank God for those good guys standing up to them.
Add this realization to the Hezbolla situation and the fact that I am still in this unnerving process called “growing up” and I have become uncomfortably familiar with this thing called fear. It is by no means new, but I have been reminded about what a crippling feeling it can truly be. There is so much to be afraid of that we know of--and even more that we don’t--it can literally keep me locked inside for the rest of my life if I let it.
C.S. Lewis pointed out, however, that feeling fear itself is not a downfall, but rather it is how we act—or don’t act—when we are afraid that counts. Fear is a turning point because, alas, our road is not straight; we will encounter it again and again in our walks of life. Fear can make us feel isolated as well, and when one is isolated, it is even easier to be afraid. It is a deadly and never-ending cycle.
What can one do when faced with such a fate at the hands of fear? God’s Word says that the spirit of fear does not come from Him; rather He gives us a spirit of power. To get out of the cycle of fear one has to reach out of the darkness, defy its enclosing presence, and grab someone nearby. They are probably just as scared as you are, and together, though you may be afraid, you are no longer isolated and God is still there with you.
I think that with fear and then reaching out comes the growth of our world, going back to my idea of expanding circles and the stretch of our personal world. As we reach out on God’s courage to expand our world we overcome the old fears… only to meet new ones. But these fears are nothing we cannot handle with God on our side. Taking on fears beyond my world is more difficult and intimidating, but I am not overcome by them as long as I keep my focus on God and the immediate fears that I can overcome, putting them behind me and growing stronger by the day. And with Jesus and the Bible as my guide, fear becomes a trifling factor.
Add this realization to the Hezbolla situation and the fact that I am still in this unnerving process called “growing up” and I have become uncomfortably familiar with this thing called fear. It is by no means new, but I have been reminded about what a crippling feeling it can truly be. There is so much to be afraid of that we know of--and even more that we don’t--it can literally keep me locked inside for the rest of my life if I let it.
C.S. Lewis pointed out, however, that feeling fear itself is not a downfall, but rather it is how we act—or don’t act—when we are afraid that counts. Fear is a turning point because, alas, our road is not straight; we will encounter it again and again in our walks of life. Fear can make us feel isolated as well, and when one is isolated, it is even easier to be afraid. It is a deadly and never-ending cycle.
What can one do when faced with such a fate at the hands of fear? God’s Word says that the spirit of fear does not come from Him; rather He gives us a spirit of power. To get out of the cycle of fear one has to reach out of the darkness, defy its enclosing presence, and grab someone nearby. They are probably just as scared as you are, and together, though you may be afraid, you are no longer isolated and God is still there with you.
I think that with fear and then reaching out comes the growth of our world, going back to my idea of expanding circles and the stretch of our personal world. As we reach out on God’s courage to expand our world we overcome the old fears… only to meet new ones. But these fears are nothing we cannot handle with God on our side. Taking on fears beyond my world is more difficult and intimidating, but I am not overcome by them as long as I keep my focus on God and the immediate fears that I can overcome, putting them behind me and growing stronger by the day. And with Jesus and the Bible as my guide, fear becomes a trifling factor.
# posted by Carla May @ 11:58 PM 
Comments:
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Absolutely your best blog yet and I'm so enamored by it that I am including an opening blurb in my next blog for other people to come here and read it! It's a message which needs to be heard by everyone, God-fearing or not.
I'll keep my comments to a minimum, since your post speaks entirely for itself. To summarize, your post is not only strongly Biblical, but definitely has solid marks of Godliness upon it and, for us as Christians, is an absolutely essential element to our faith so often overlooked. Thanks for reminding every single on of us that fear is not a bad thing at all, so long as we keep it in perspective and don't let Satan carry us away to the extremes with it.
Take care, Carla! God bless. :)
I'll keep my comments to a minimum, since your post speaks entirely for itself. To summarize, your post is not only strongly Biblical, but definitely has solid marks of Godliness upon it and, for us as Christians, is an absolutely essential element to our faith so often overlooked. Thanks for reminding every single on of us that fear is not a bad thing at all, so long as we keep it in perspective and don't let Satan carry us away to the extremes with it.
Take care, Carla! God bless. :)
One cool thing my pastor told in his sermon on this very same topic really made me think more deeply on our problem with fears:
In the story of Peter walking on water, we see two fears: his fear of Jesus and his fear of the weather.It's so much like our own lives, because we're a lot more afraid of circumstances than we are of God. I think a lot of people (myself included) gloss over the fact that God is almighty and far more intimidating than ANYTHING this life throws at us.
That said, I think your blog and that sermon complimented each other nicely. Wonderful insight, m'dear. :)
In the story of Peter walking on water, we see two fears: his fear of Jesus and his fear of the weather.It's so much like our own lives, because we're a lot more afraid of circumstances than we are of God. I think a lot of people (myself included) gloss over the fact that God is almighty and far more intimidating than ANYTHING this life throws at us.
That said, I think your blog and that sermon complimented each other nicely. Wonderful insight, m'dear. :)
# posted by 
: August 15, 2006 11:49 PM
: August 15, 2006 11:49 PM
Carla May, you're right that fear is the biggest weapon that the terrorists have against us. I recommend reading this month's cover story in the "The Atlantic" which makes the point that in the "war on terror" what we're really battling is ourselves. It's in our response to terror where we can win or lose. There is so much good we can do for the world...but only if we do it right.
Unfortunately, fears come to 'grown-ups' too. Just different fears. A quote that has helped me is: "What would I do if I wasn't afraid?" It helps me keep things in perspective.
Have a great fall semester!
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Have a great fall semester!
# posted by : August 19, 2006 3:44 PM
: August 19, 2006 3:44 PM << Home
