Fear (Reader Requested post)

When I was a Youth Pastor I used to tell my students that there were certain stories they just couldn't hear about my college years. I would give them a taste of the exploits my roomies and I engaged in. However, that was about all I would offer. The students, especially the guys, wanted to hear more.

Already, some of you are wondering, "What in the world could be so shrouded in secrecy? And why?" I'll give you a taste. Once, friends and I hiked across a state park, ignored clear signage to avoid the approaching cliffs, and launched ourselves 80ft to the deep and cold water below (We took every precaution of course, in case there are any moms reading this).

I didn't share stories like these because in the late 90s and early 2000s there was no social media and my anonymity was a security for some reason. A fact I am more than thankful for at the moment - because with it, I am certain I would not be employed nor married, or lacking in arrest records.

What strikes me the funniest of all is that many of those things I did may have been labeled fearless. With the advantage of maturity (still debatable) and wisdom I can say it was much closer to stupidity OR fear of man (wanting to be liked) that I: jumped off cliffs, "borrowed" campus security golf carts in order to go to a drive-thru for a late nite snack, or allowed my roommate to drive my car from the backseat with his feet (that looks a lot worse typed out).

It all, however, begs the question, "What is fear? Is it sin? Is it purely psychologically driven, are there physiological elements, and how should the Christian engage it?" You see we find ourselves in a society that preys on fears; advertising, insurance, financial planning, and now an invisible virus, to name just a few. What is one to do?

I want to start by saying, this will not be exhaustive coverage of the topic and will take more than one post to address.

Fear (n) - "an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat."

Fear (v) - "be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening."
 
Fear, in some sense, is a word that has fallen on hard times. Reading the above definitions seem to speak little or not at all of reverence, awe, or amazement. All common responses to God. You see, if Proverbs 1:7 holds true, then we must have a more broad and accommodating understanding of FEAR. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

Certainly there is a difference between that kind of fear and the kind where a physiological response triggers tears, and a real sense that something or someone is closing in on us. If "do not fear" or "fear not" is the most often repeated command in the Bible, then we simply must differentiate between good and bad fear. For if we do not we mock empathy, throw down roadblocks and in a thousand other ways make the reassuring presence of the Holy Spirit a false reality. An apparition that works for others and not for the one who is presently enslaved to an emotion they did not invite and would rather left immediately.

Simply quoting, "Why are you afraid, God says, 'Do not be afraid'?" actually perpetuates and deepens the fear. We will look at fear through the physical perspective of someone in the medical field. How they perceive its helpful and not-so-helpful effects. Then, we will spend some time uncovering what God's word says about it so that our hearts are helped in this fearful time.