know fear

tutoring this midlife/returning student mom in psychology once, she spoke of fear. she was afraid of something or other.

i told her

find out what the fear is about. if it is something to be genuinely fearful of, say, walking across a shaky bridge over a bubbling volcano, then that fear might be helpful. but if it is just fear that is keeping you from doing something. fear of the unknown, find out what is unknown and do it. press through the fear.

i remembered this conversation as i was mulching my garden on sunday. our culture has taken fear to an entirely new level. it is marketed, mass produced, and freaks us out. this is probably well intentioned by those who seek to profit from said fear.

think about it, in the days long ago, when a fire was the only entertainment and songs were sung, dances were danced. all went to bed and rose with the sun, those were not fearladen days like we have now.

creatures of darkness were not the jasons or the freddy kreugers of our imaginations but lions and tigers and bears. (oh my!) understandable predators in the scheme of things. explainable would be the death of a lone person ravaged by wolves.

but we have taken fear to all new levels. we have a culture permeated with fear.

fear of body sweat and dust mites, allergens and dirty air in our homes. fear is everywhere.

fear was once a necessary fight or flight indicator. now it is a cheap thrill. it has become so distorted that we fear demons making our coffee maker gurgle and our tv static-y.

i am tired of it.

when God said, fear not. i have come to believe that we need to know what the fear is about and reckon with it. our culture pumps us with fearful images and stories, ideas and possibilities and we are locked in fear's tentacles.

what are you afraid of? is it a rational fear? is it a necessary fear, God given, warning you to stay away from the loaded gun your friend is weilding. then heed that fear and take action.

but i think this culture of fear is infecting the church as well. we fear demons, principalities, rulers in high places. and with some reason.

but last time i checked, God was still God. God was still ALL mighty. ALL powerful. ALL sovereign. what are we afraid of then, really? what can demons or principalities do to us that God cannot make work for our good? nothing. no thing. nada. zip.

know what you are afraid of.

know what fear is besetting you.

use fear as a reminder to draw closer to the Living God. He is your refuge and mine. A strong tower. An ever present help in time of need.