Nobody wants to be a scaredy-cat, but I believe that everyone is at one time or another.  For some people you can read fear on their faces.  With others you would swear that they weren’t afraid, but their fear is kept inside, building up as stress, the silent killer.

Why do we fear?  Is it because we always anticipate the bad?  That guy might make good on his threat towards me.  Is my husband having an affair?  Will my husband come home in a bad mood and hurt me?  Am I doomed for another heart attack?  So many in my mother’s family died of cancer.  Am I next?  Why won’t my grown children take my advice?  I only want to keep them safe.

The Bible says that we should fear nothing and nobody except God.  Why should we fear God?  Is that just a King James word for worshipful respect?  If so, why don’t we change it?  As it is, it looks like we should be afraid of our creator, who has the “power to throw you into hell.”  (Luke 12:5)  What kind of relationship is that?  Is that what they call a healthy fear?

What about the fact that “perfect love drives out fear?” (I John 4:18)  Shouldn’t that be our focus?  Can love and fear co-exist?  Maybe it would work because love transfers our attention to others, and our pride keeps trying to push our own concerns for ourselves to the front.  Perhaps that tension is necessary for our spiritual growth.

Fear is binding.  It stifles us.  It causes us to react, rather than to act.  We all talk about freedom in Christ, but we live as though we are still in the grip of fear.  Can we dare to be free?  Is the Devil pushing our fear buttons?

Who is in control?

HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT IT?

Someone had to give you information either verbally or by written word.  Then you have to determine if what they said or wrote is true.

WHAT DOES YOUR RELIGION SAY ABOUT THE AFTERLIFE?

This is really what’s on everyone’s mind.  If there is no afterlife, then your only goal in this life is to get through it as comfortably as possible.

WHAT DOES YOUR RELIGION REQUIRE OF YOU?

Most religions want your time and money, in increasing measure.  They also want you to commit to a creed or membership.

DOES WHAT YOU BELIEVE MAKE SENSE?

Many followers accept teachings simply because their leaders require your trust.  There is also the underlying threat that God will be angry if you don’t trust his prophets or his holy book, and that the consequences will be devastating.

CAN YOUR RELIGION BE PROVED?

Most will say “yes.”  But, think about it; all information that you receive comes from someone who was an alleged eyewitness, or knew someone who had an experience, or knew someone who knew someone, etc..  The bottom line is that you believe what you want to believe.

In answering these questions, you will find that more questions are required, and you may be surprised to find how getting to the truth is more difficult than you think.

Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions.  If there is a God (and I believe there is), he would want you to investigate the meaning of life and the path to him.

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.

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It’s finally here.  After 43+ years of “workin’ for the man,” I am now my own man.  No more rushing to work, dragging back to the house, then squeezing food and sleep in between before it starts over again. Now I enjoy walking in the park every day with my wife and dogs, getting free coffee and doughnuts with the other old folks on senior day at Kroger, waiting for my car to be fixed rather than leaving it, and being able to hop in the car whenever my wife says, “Let’s go to …” — any time of the day.

And, thank God, I have lived 59 days of it so far.

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