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Nothing To Fear?

             There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (I John 4:18)

             I fear no evil, for You are with me; (Psalm 23:4b)

             Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

 

            The topic in my Sunday School class next week is fear. In Live Without Lack, Dallas Willard suggests that we can live without fear. Because God is who and what God is, there is no reason to fear. I’m struggling with this one.

            Yes, if God is God and He is with me, then I need fear nothing except God – and I need not fear Him if I am His child. But, I’m reminded of a quote from Sea Wolf. It certainly isn’t Scripture, but it points out something worth considering. I can’t find the quote now, but the gist is that while the young man speaking is admittedly afraid and Wolf Larsen is afraid of nothing, what that means is that for the young man to act requires that he be courageous, while Wolf Larsen, fearing nothing, cannot be courageous.

          Is this quote accurate? Is it impossible to have courage without the presence of fear? If so, how is it that the Bible includes 365 statements of “Do not fear” and 55 mentions of the words “courageous” and “courage”? Shouldn’t it be one or the other?

          Could it be that there is a difference between feeling fear and being afraid, between feeling fear and having fear? If I were to walk down a street at night and hear someone (apparently) following me, I might feel fear. If I were to get some form of threatening communication, I would feel fear. If I were somewhere and an animal acted in a threatening way toward me, I might feel fear. Knowing me, I’d probably grab my camera and start taking pictures, but that would be an appropriate time to feel fear. This sort of fear is connected to reality and is a biological warning that there is something to which one needs to act, now.

          On the other hand, I am afraid of spiders and of failure. These things haunt me even when there is no spider visible and I’m considering what actions to take. Looking for a job is traumatic even though I’ve generally been successful at finding one when I’ve looked. The thought of marketing my books is paralyzing, even though I can get up in front of a group of people and talk without difficulty.  (Your rebuke or commiseration is noted and accepted but they allow me to demonstrate what I’m trying to say.)

          A friend of mine with whom I’ve discussed this a little commented that there are fears that are connected to wisdom. It’s wise to feel fear when something can actually harm us. It’s not wise to feel fear when there is no real threat. And if fear becomes a major force in our lives, it might be said to become our god. There are things I can’t do or must do because I fear. This sort of fear controls even when there is no real threat.

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