Fear is a major part of life. It is both bad and good, sometimes crippling us, other times protecting us. Not even the bravest among us is exempt from fear. We fear everything from what others do to us, to what we might do to ourselves. We fear words, feelings, impressions, reactions, the unknown, the uncomfortable, and the unsure. According to former President Franklin D. Roosevelt we even have a fear of fear itself. This is not new. In biblical times God reminded Israel, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God” (Isaiah 41:10). The angels said to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people” (Luke 2:10). The resurrected Lord said to His disciples, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me” (Matthew 28:5). Paul reminded Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). So what do we do with fear? Max Lucado asked, “Can you imagine a life with no fear? What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats?” Faith vs. fear! Now there’s a solution. If only I could have faith in the face of fear. I’ll work on that this week.
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