The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
When President Roosevelt (FDR) spoke these words at his inaugural address, the country was at the bottom of the Great Depression. He went on to describe fear as the “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
We all have fears, some more than others. Even those who appear to be fearless are, in reality, able to keep their fears in check. The causes of fear are endless, from ablutophobia (fear of washing or bathing) to zoophobia (fear of animals). I recently confirmed that I have a touch of claustrophobia when I visited an inmate at the county jail. Entering into a small, locked room, I spoke with him through a glass and telephone. Ten minutes into the conversation I got dry mouth and had to pee. And I still had 50 minutes to go before they would let me out!
The Bible documents a number of instances involving the fear of men, animals and elements. Jesus said that we should not fear men, but rather “fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell.” (Luke 12:5) My fundamentalist friends assure me that the verse doesn’t mean that we should be afraid of God; we should respect him and recognize his awesome power — a sort of healthy fear of him.
While I recognize God’s omnipotence (the power to do anything he wants), I would rather approach him as my perfect Father, the one whom I can run to, and cling to, the one whom I trust to rout my fears. Oftentimes I get comfort when, faced with a fear, I cry silently to him, “Your will be done.”
I suspect that I will never achieve fearlessness this side of death, but my hope is that I am approaching it, ever so slowly, and will overcome it, even if it be at the other side of death on my continued journey.
Another thing that helps me is the thought that others are facing greater challenges than I, and that when I reach the other side of the fearful event, I wonder why I should have feared it at all. My wife recently overcame her fear of walking across an earthen dam where we walk our dogs in the mornings. It didn’t cure her of her fear of heights (hypsophobia), but she felt a great accomplishment by overcoming this one obstacle. Overcoming fears is much like the rest of our daily lives; we meet each challenge or relationship as it happens.
Fear and worry are close companions. Jesus taught us to trust God and to not let the words of men or the voices in our own heads sway us from understanding and being comforted by his love. He said that each day has enough trouble of its own for us to face.
Being basically unchurched the last few years, today we overcame our ecclesiophobia (fear of church) and went to Sunday school. Just kidding about the phobia part, but we enjoyed being in church again.
Louisa May Alcott said, “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
Sail on.
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