Of Being Myself

I had my fear. Today felt like one of the worst. Till I read this awhile ago…  Meditation
Luke 12:1-7


“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. . . . Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:4,7) Fear is not always a bad thing. God himself gave us the emotion of fear to energize us, to focus our attention, and to help us deal with a threat when danger surfaces. But so often our fears are misplaced. We fear the wrong things for the wrong reasons!It’s when we focus too much on ourselves that fear cripples us. We keep silent about our faith because we are afraid of what others will think of us. We are afraid that if we say the wrong thing, we will disappoint ourselves, others, or even God—and so we do nothing. We even borrow trouble from the future, rehearsing all kinds of dire scenarios that may befall our lives. What if global warming melts the polar ice caps? What if terrorists poison our drinking water? What if we or a loved one were to contract an incurable disease?

This kind of fear is the work of the devil. He would have us believe that we should avoid pain and suffering at any cost—even at the cost of losing our friendship with God. When we give in to these fears, we become paralyzed and unable to do what God is calling us to do. We forget his loving care, to which Jesus testifies so plainly when he reminds us that even the sparrows are under his protection (Luke 12:6).

If fear can do this to us, why don’t we simply banish it from our hearts altogether? Because, as we said above, fear can be a good thing. We should certainly do all we can to be rid of unhealthy fear, but we should also hold onto “fear of the Lord.” It’s this awe and reverence for God that Scripture assures us is “the beginning of knowledge”

(Proverbs 1:7). It’s this perfect love for God that can swallow up any feeling that he is condemning us (1 John 4:18). Our goal should be to love God so much that we have only one fear: turning away from the love he has for us. United with him, we can face any danger with confidence!

 “Jesus, thank you for revealing the Father’s unlimited compassion and mercy! Help me to cast away fear and trust in his powerful, personal love.”

  Romans 4:1-8; Psalm 32:1-2,5,11

Excerpt from The Word Among Us, www.wau.org on Today’s Meditations.

Felt much better now. Not entirely, but at least a bit comforted.