ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
June 7, 2022
What scares you? What causes anxiety within you? I’m sure there are as many answers as there are people reading this, probably double. We read in scripture the words: “‘Fear not, for I am with you.’ says the Lord.” Those are powerful words, but I can still be frightened. In Psalm 27, we read: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” Inspirational words, but I still find apprehension creeping in. I know what scripture says, and I do resonate with such profound declarations, but fear is still present in my life. Biologically, the experience of fear is not a choice, but the mind and body and all of our systems doing their thing. As I’ve said often, fear provides a choice for us. Will we view it as information or as an engine? Fear can provide important insight like “RUN!” Or it can become the engine by which we react entirely out of fear.
I see a lot of fear today. Much of it is people finding themselves uneasy because of change. An appropriate response might be to explore, maybe with a counselor, why it is that I am fearful. What kinds of insecurities are hidden within me and whisper all kinds of untruths to me? From that place, there is a lot of scapegoating, blame and the creation of antagonists. None of them are really the cause. It is our unwillingness to acknowledge the real reasons for our insecurities that give birth to fear. Right now, we are seeing a lot of hate and violence that could be thwarted with a good counselor and some intentional prayer where God is given space to shine some light into those places we’d rather keep hidden.
There is always something within me that needs work. Come, Gracious God, and give me the courage to face the insecurities concealed within me. Unnamed, they will drive me to do things to undermine your Kin(g)dom work; denied, and they will be an engine of unhealthy and unholy actions. Come, Gracious God, and guide me to a place where the fears that might exist do not own me. Amen.
