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Scared and Ready to Run |
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Article by
Tom Gilbert - August 2004
There are a lot of scary things in
life. I’m not referring just to “monsters
under the bed and things that go bump in the night”,
although to a young child that can be truly frightening.
The very real acts of terrorism, continuing warfare around
the globe and a spate of recent natural disasters are
enough to make anyone want to pull the covers over their
head.
What causes our fear? Almost always it can be traced to
our concern that we can’t face up to something.
It doesn’t have to be a global catastrophe. More
often it’s the fear that grips us over sudden illness,
a new job or commitment in a personal relationship –
the list for each of us is lengthy.
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Do Not Be
Afraid
It’s interesting that the Bible
records many instances of the Divine breaking into our
world and how overcome with fright are the people who
experience it. Trembling and even fainting away are common
reactions. Inevitably words of reassurance follow. The
most frequent term is “do not be afraid”.
A search in the NIV translation reveals over 80 uses of
these comforting words, beginning with Genesis and continuing
right through to the last book of the New Testament (Revelation).
Clearly God does not want us to be afraid of Him.
Still, we often are scared and ready to run when confronted
by things we don’t understand (like God) and certainly
when experiencing any supernatural occurrence. It reminds
me of little children or pets. You want to assure them
of your love, but in their fear all they want to do is
flee. The problem has been magnified by the wrong teaching
that we better behave and be good or God’s going
to get us!
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Seeking Us
Despite our constant fears God seems
to be going out of His way to seek us. That certainly
contradicts the opinions of those who believe that God
is distant, removed and impersonal.
I’m still surprised at how often I’m afraid
to face things. Even with a belief in a loving God and
trusting in His mercy, forgiveness and grace I will still
live in fear. This fear can even be low-level and subconscious.
I won’t outwardly act fearful, but I’ll avoid
confronting a need to change behavior, make amends or
give my problems to God.
I’ve found that sitting quietly with the fear can
be helpful. That may seem illogical. In actuality, this
practice is not a way to torture yourself with your fears.
Instead of staying in the fear you can experience it and
let go of it. Sometimes we just have to feel the fear
before we can become free of it. The internal struggle
to run from it may be strong, but if you persist you may
discover the power of that fear slowly dissolves. Of course,
this is possible only when you let go of the fear and
turn it over to a God that assures you that with Him there
is nothing to fear. Protection, love and grace are available
to give you the strength to face those fears.
Two psalms drive home the importance of trusting in God
and not being afraid. The psalmist in 56:11 states, “in
God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to
me?” Psalm 118:6 similarly assures, “The LORD
is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
There is nothing that can happen — not ill fortune,
sickness, depression or even death that God cannot help
us with.
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Still, we have our running
shoes on
Paul, the earnest apostle and evangelist
of the early church, used the running analogy, but rather
than running away he emphasized the importance of running
towards the goal and finishing the race (, , ).
I’d really like to be completely free of fear. I
sense I never will be, but I have hope of it not ruling
my life. The more I become willing to trust in God (and
His messengers like friends, family, neighbors and strangers)
the easier it is to stem the urge to run away. Instead,
I can turn and face the music.
You’ve probably experienced some near misses in
your life, such as swerving just in time to avoid an oncoming
vehicle. Later, when the adrenaline has subsided and you
relate your close call there is laughter. It’s the
relief and realization that what you feared was the worst
was avoided. It’s not just those close calls. When
time heals the wounds of a once devastating event you
might be surprised to see God’s comfort came to
you and you learned and grew from that hardship.
Is the world a scary place? Sometimes. It’s also
beautiful. We can be timid or bold. Jesus said don’t
be concerned. Essentially he told us not to sweat the
small stuff and that most of what happens is tiny indeed
when viewed from a heavenly perspective.
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Scripture taken from the
Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright ©
1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights
reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International
Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered
trademarks of International Bible Society. Use of either
trademark for the offering of goods or services requires
the prior written consent of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy
Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used
by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton,
IL 60189, USA. All rights reserved.
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