Skip to main content

I WIll Not Fear


           From my distress I called upon the Lord; The Lord answered me and set me in a large place. The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:5-6)

          When my next-door neighbor and I were in kindergarten, we both got given the standard “stranger danger” talk. My neighbor’s teacher found me and told me that I needed to walk her home because she was afraid of all the strangers she saw. I’d planned to anyway, but I didn’t understand her fears. It was years before I realized that she’d taken the word “stranger” very literally. Every person she saw that she didn’t know was a stranger to her, and therefore likely to kidnap her. She got over it fairly quickly.
         Then, in the 80s, someone abducted Adam Walsh, and the nation’s focus once again turned to how dangerous people can be, especially people who aren’t like us. Colleges now feel obligated to provide safe places for their students. These places aren’t a site to find protection from someone wielding a gun or knife, but from someone who says things that make the student uncomfortable.
            In a similar vein, some folks have adopted the attitude that their social media page/wall is theirs, and no one is welcome to challenge their perspectives. It’s their safe place. I understand their thinking, but I have to shake my head at the idea. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
         I’d like to think that verses like today’s are the reason for my lack of comprehension. But it’s not that I don’t fear what men can do to me. It’s not that I don’t take at least some precautions. I just don’t get anxious about what another person can do unless I think there’s a real likelihood that he’ll do it.
         The sad thing is that while I don’t have “stranger danger” fear like my friend from kindergarten, I have a rejection fear that runs just as high. That is the fear I must lay before the Father. That, and what something that is not a man can do are why I need this passage.
         Whatever your fears, these are your verses.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal 6:10)   “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.   By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)           Joshua grinned when he saw Rex standing by the door, studying something on the ground. "Hey, man! Are we ready to do this thing?"          Rex looked up. "Josh, I can't do it. We're still best buds, but I can't stand your fiancée."           I've met "Rex" many times. I've been Rex. Joshua (Jesus) loves the Church. He's not a fool. He knows the Church is far from perfect, but she is His chosen bride. The Rexes of this world, who think themselves His friend, turn away from her. "You don't need the Church to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ssssssubmmissssssionnn

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ . (Ephesians 5:21)             "Ssssssubmmisssssssionnn." Can't you just hear the serpent hissing this most horrible of words? If you listen to the serpent or the world, submission means groveling, allowing yourself to be abused, denying yourself your own humanity. Nothing could be worse than submission, could it?             Submission has never been a problem for me, as long as things are going the way I want them to. The rest of the time? Well, let's just say that while I don't know how to fight physically, I don't know how to not fight mentally. One of the fights I've been having with myself for years is about submission.             My first breakthrough took place on a trip to a bookstore. As I walked into the store, my thoughts were very clear. 1) I was goi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shark Fins, Triple Dog Dares, Heroes, Villains and Sidekicks

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)            There's a scene in Jaws in which someone sees a shark fin and starts a panic. As   all the swimmers scramble to shore, boats surround the fin, which falls over to reveal two kids. With several guns pointed at them, one of the kids points at the other. The message is clear: it was his idea. In Christmas Story, there's a scene in which one kid "triple dog dares" another to do something stupid. Since it's a triple dog dare, well, what choice does the boy have? There doesn't seem to be any end to the trouble that peer pressure can cause. ...
Post a Comment
Read more