Fear

Fear?  What is fear?

To start, I think that it would be better to ask, "how does fear appear in our lives?"

Because when you think about it, fear makes people do crazy things...

Fear of being hurt-  Keeps you from being close, because if you are never close to anyone, you will never get hurt or experience betrayal.

Fear of intimacy-  Keeps you locked out in the cold, and you can never miss what you never had.

Fear of loss-  Creates a death grip on what you have, because if you never let go, it might get broken, but it will still be yours and thats what matter... not that it is broken.

Fear of brokenness-  It creates walls, and no one will ever get to know you, because if no one ever got to know you, they will never know your weaknesses, and you can be safe and powerful.

Fear of being powerless-  If you never have weakness, you will never lose anyone or anything.   

Fear of poverty-  Makes you obsess over money, and the love (obsession) is the root of all evil, but I can say that money is a cheap lover that takes everything, and then abandons the person.

Fear of abandonment-  Makes you do crazy things to keep those that you want to possess, but you have to remember that nothing is ours to possess.

Fear of failure-  Stops you from trying to succeed, because if you never try to succeed, you will never fail.  But at the end of our days, will we say that we avoided all success because we avoided all failure?

That is where I stand today.  Knowing that I have done my best to take on whatever I feel God calls me to do.  I probably got some of his messages wrong, or conversely, he allowed me to experience failure to grow my character.  I may never know on this side of heaven, but at least I know that I stand dauntless again the undertow of life.

I admit, there are days where I don't want to get out of bed.  Whether it is my health, stress, or comfort, I would rather stay in.  Sometimes, fear creeps in.  Whether it is the unknown, of failure, of health issues, or other such things, I would rather not take on the day.  But I have to look at those things right in their eyes and tell them to get out of my way.  Those things of Satan belong behind me, not in front of me blocking my view.  There is too much good to do today that I don't need him stopping me.

It might come back, as they like to do, and nag me at a weak point.  But instead of letting that pest nag me about my failure, I let God remind me of my successes (I also keep a success box and I save letters and emails to remind me of that at times).  I also have to remind myself of who I am in Christ, not what I am at the school.  Or what I am at the church.  Or more so... I remind myself so that I don't focus on what I am NOT.  Looking at what we are not stokes the fire of fear... so instead, I look at what I am:  a fearfully and wonderfully made child of God.

I am saying this not because I think that I am great and that I am above fear, but it is because I am working towards conquering fear.  As someone who was taught to fear at a young age, I have been able to break those chains and take on fear as I see it.

1 John 4:8 says that there is no fear in love, and that perfect love drives out fear.  That agape, that perfect Godly love, is from Christ.  Not manufactured by myself, but instead, it is something that flows from him and then flows from our hearts.  

When I understood that, I looked at fear driven people differently.  They are more prone to jealousy, rage, greed, vanity, and other deadly life choices.  Their actions make me want their lives less, not want it more.  When I hear their criticism, anger, or trickery, I see it as a hurting person that is trying to hurt me, control me, manipulate me for their own gain.  I don't see it as a threat, but as wound that they need to heal.

So I want to leave you with that today.  When we feel pain, that is an indicator that there is something wrong in the body.  Fear is the same way.  The "pain" might be different in each case, but it is there.  It is letting us know that there is a wound that needs to be healed.  If you are feeling that pain today, I hope that you can seek God's healing in those areas and be filled with his love for your own good and so that you may bless others as well.

But if you don't feel the grip of fear today, pay attention to those around you.  Listening to their heart and hearing their fears will give you a good in-road to praying for them or practically helping them.  

But wherever you are with this, I want you to join me in trying to live a fearless life.  It might not be easy, it might not be glamorous... but it is the good life and the "God-life".  Peace be with you today, and may you be fearless in the face of all adversity that comes at you today!