Fear

So what is fear? The dictionary defines fear as, ‘a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined…’ All of us are afraid at one time or another. Fear is a disease of the soul that robs us of our ability to act, reason, trust and think. It paralyzes us into inaction when we need to move forward boldly through life. It robs us of reason allowing us to justify cowardice in our actions. It eliminates trust and erects a barrier between us and the peace of God’s embrace.

I won’t say that I’m never afraid. All you have to do is watch me shaking as I’m standing next to the rail at Glacier Point in Yosemite and you will see a prime example of fear (I am terrified of ledges – not heights – just ledges). There is so much to be afraid of in this world; the continuing economic crisis, staggering unemployment, the very real threat of job loss, terrorism, cancer, opinions, and so much more. All you have to do is pick up the paper, turn on the TV or access the web and you are inundated with bad news. And let’s face it, the more dramatic the story, the more the eye and brain is attracted to the content. So the big question is how you handle fear.

The answer to this question is really very simple; trust God. Psalms 56:4 says, ‘In God whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?’ This has taken me a lifetime to learn unfortunately, but I find you’re never too old or too young to learn the lesson.  The peace of God that results from trust is like the wall of a castle. Outside the wall you can hear the war drums pounding and feel the enemy circling but inside the walls there is peace. Fear is an enemy that is always there. Let’s face it, we’re all human and we all fall prey to fear and despair sometime. But, when we place our trust in God, truly allow Him to embrace us, we are protected from fear. Recently, I was diagnosed with Kidney cancer. When you hear those words, I can assure you fear leaps forward like a tiger and threatens to consume you. For me, I was determined that I would not be afraid. I was determined to trust God. I would not allow myself to be debilitated by fear and in the end, it worked – trusting in God works. His word to us is true!