Ever think about fear? Really think about it? (I’m pretty sure this is not the way to grab your attention and make you want to read today’s blog…but I promise it gets better…but then again claiming something gets better is a relative statement…so it may not get better at all. However, I can now sleep better having supplied this disclaimer!)
The other night my middle daughter was sitting and eating an ice cream cone and said, “Oh great! Tonight I am going to have a nightmare.” She was fearful. And unfortunately, she has come to associate something so wonderful (in this case a butterscotch dipped vanilla ice cream cone from Dairy Queen late in the evening) with something very distressing.”
And sure enough, call it a self-fulfilling prophecy, later that night around 2 in the morning this little person appeared in my bedroom and crawled in bed with her mother and I. She said, “I just had a nightmare.” Really? What can cause a six-year old to have a nightmare? Do they even know what a nightmare is? What in her little world is so scary? Maybe everything?
It’s been a long time since I was that age and I really only remember being afraid three times. All of which actually occurred…
The first was when I thought I would get the wrong answer on the English test. The teacher would show us a picture, say the word, and then we had to tell the vowel – something like recognizing the difference between pen and pin.
The second was Valentine’s day and I was afraid I wouldn’t get any valentines. Or worse yet – I would get the dreaded this is meant for a girl valentine, but I don’t have enough meant for a boy valentines and I have to give one to everyone so you get this one valentine.
And thirdly, (is thirdly even a word) I was afraid of missing the bus (which I did), not because I didn’t know where to go – I knew I could walk there – but because I would miss playtime (and did) with my friends. I wasn’t afraid of the fact that I would have to walk a couple of miles by myself, along a busy road, and totally unaware of how vulnerable I was to….well….everything. I also remember my mom’s fear…by the time she found me she was really worked up.
But back to the other night, there was Kara – having to snuggle up in the safety and security of her parent’s bed. Here it was safe and here it was peaceful…
Writing this has made me think about fear’s definition and struggling to know – for sure – if I can define it properly. Sure I know what it is, I know it when I have it, and I know how it makes me feel, but can I accurately define it for someone else? Since I’m not sure I will go look it up…
Fear can be both a verb and a noun. As a verb it is defined as, “Being afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful or threatening.” As a noun it is defined as, “An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.”
Basically…fear is distressing…
But honestly as Christ followers, we don’t have to fear. We really don’t! In 2 Timothy 1:7 we read, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Yay, God! If God is for us then who can be against us? And what do we have to be afraid of?
Nothing, zero, zilch…
So the next time you are afraid of something, remember in whose hand you rest. In Him you can find peace and safety.
Until next time…
Pastor Barry
Pastor Barry's Blog 