"From Ghoulies and Ghosties, and long-legged Beasties,
And from other things that go bump in the night --
Lord God, deliver us!" (an Old Scottish Prayer)
In the cartoon, "Family Circus," little Jeffy is afraid to go to sleep because there are lions in his room. His mother cannot see the imaginary lions, but Jeffy can see them and is afraid of them.
Fear is a lion with a thundering roar and huge raking claws that can slash one to pieces. Fear can destroy us. If fear is the lion, then faith is the hunter that kills the lion!
We are born with only two fears: (l) the fear of falling and (2) the fear of loud noises. All other fears we learn as we grow older. Some fears are beneficial to us and cause us no permanent damage. Early on, we learn to be afraid of those things that can harm us: "Don't go out in the street"; "Don't touch -- that's hot!"; "Don't speak to strangers." Other fears are unnatural and often imaginary; these haunting fears can cause permanent damage to our lives, to our relationships and to our faith in God.
We are all acquainted with these fears: the fear of being hurt, the fear of being rejected, the fear of failure, the fear of losing our job, the fear of losing a loved one, the fear of change, the fear of growing old, the fear of dying. We can become so preoccupied with these fears that we allow them to paralyze our thoughts and our actions. Because of these fears, we tend to withdraw into ourselves, cutting ourselves off from those who care about us, cutting ourselves off from God. The lion has us in his clutches and is tearing our lives apart.
Faith is the hunter that destroys the lion of fear. Any big game hunter will tell you how to kill a lion -- stalk your prey; get to know as much as possible about the lion; confront the lion; when the lion rushes toward you, stand your ground and look him in the eye; never run; when you see the bristle of the lion's mane, fire your gun straight and true; and the lion will fall at your feet.
In the same manner, we can destroy the lion of fear. Find your prey; come to understand what it is you fear and why you fear it; confront your fears -- are they real or imaginary?; when fear threatens to overwhelm you, stand fast in your faith -- God will give you the courage and the faith to combat your fears! God reminds us: "Don't be afraid, because I am with you in every life-situation! I am the Lord of life and nothing, not even death, can harm you!"
Fear is a lion. Faith is the hunter that destroys the lion. Face up to your worst fears. Understand what it is you fear, and why. Confront your fears, knowing that Almighty God is with you. Have faith that God's power and grace are more than enough to kill every fear.
When the Lord God is with us, we have nothing to fear! Praise be to God!
Don Kuehle is a retired United Methodist minister who lives in Jackson. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Religion on 10/18/2018