Let's Talk About Fear

Okay. I've written a ton here about courage and what it is to be brave and the word fearless and blah blah blah. But never have I directly addressed the topic of fear. This is one of those things that I am really ridiculously passionate about, so forgive me if I rant a bit.

Fear is the opposite of love. Hate is not, hate is just the deepest absence of love that there is. In fear one becomes closed, in love one expands. In fear one hides, in love one is exposed. In fear one becomes lonely, in love one is lost, hence there is no question of loneliness at all. Love is perfect though, and therefore stronger than fear. Love wins every time. Unless. Unless we choose to let fear take over.

See, fear is one of those things that only can shove its way into our lives if we let it. At all times we have the option to be brave, to be strong, to not let fear win. So why do we? Honestly, I think it's because we were taught to. Since we were children we were told that it is normal and even good to be afraid of heights and the dark and strangers with candy and windowless white vans. But there is a very big difference between being afraid and being aware.

To be aware is to be smart, to be on your toes, and to keep your eyes open.

To be afraid is to not trust God to take care of you.

This will probably annoy some people. But I can't be any more clear than this. Fear says, "I am in danger and I need to protect myself." It completely throws away the idea of a divine Creator whose every word echoes with the phrase, "I love you." How dare we be so concerned with ourselves and our own well-being that we forget how much more He is.

I think fear is all in our heads. It's made-up. It is looking into the future and seeing a negative outcome which may never even happen to us at all. It's pessimistic and it is not something that I will not allow access to my life.

This is another one of those things that requires that I retrain my brain to think a certain way. For eighteen years I was told that fear is "normal". And maybe it is. But it's not good. And I cannot, will not allow it a place in my heart or my mind.

I am not afraid to sit with strangers in a park downtown after dark.

I am not afraid to walk down a dark alley wearing short-shorts.

I am not afraid that I will contract cancer or be unable to have children or die in a plane crash.

Look at the One to whom I belong and give me one good reason why I should be.

I've seen a man's leg grow, hundreds of dollars show up in people's bank accounts out of the blue, forest fires stop in their tracks and flame out for no "logical" reason. Well, I abide by a different set of logic, and fear is not a part of it.

Joshua 1:9, Beloved.

Be free of the cage of fear.

It has no right to you.