Don't
Be Afraid
“What
would you say is the most frequent command in Scripture? Be good? Be
holy? Or negatively: Don’t be immoral? No. The most frequent
command in the Bible is: Don’t be afraid. Fear not.”
Jan
Johnson (Weavings)
The
commandment, “don’t be afraid” did not originate with Jesus. It
goes all the way back to Abraham and Moses, to Joshua and Jacob.
“Fear not.” Ever wonder why? I think it is because fear causes us
to do so many things that we would otherwise not do, and it prevents
us from doing what we know we should and could. It even prevents us
from opening our minds to new ideas and scientific research that
might give our lives new meaning. Fear is the source of every wrong turn
and wrong thought; it causes wars and prevents peace.
Fear
comes in a million flavors, including lying, insisting upon having
our own way, power mongering, all the seven deadly sins, waywardness
in our commitments and in our faith. The opposite of fear is trust.
That is why it appears so often in Scripture. Trust is the basis of
our relationship to Spirit and to other human beings. From Noah to
Paul, we are admonished to trust God; to trust without fear.
Trust
does not mean that we march like lambs to the slaughter. In Matthew
10:16, Jesus tells his disciples: “I am
sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as
snakes and as innocent as doves.” In other
words, be smart and gentle. Use your brain, not your fists, or better
still, use your heart, and not your weapon.
Recognizing
fear takes some practice. I regularly have to ask myself “why did I
say that?” or “what am I trying to prove here?” or “why
didn’t I speak up?” Fear is always the answer. Fear too often
defines who we are, so much so that we’ve learned to disguise it
from ourselves. We lie to a friend and tell ourselves we’re
protecting them. We keep silent in situations of bigotry or misogyny
and tell ourselves, “I didn’t want to make a scene.” We say
truly unkind things and think, “I was only trying to help.”
To
fear is human. To recognize and challenge it is difficult. Sometimes
affirmations help inspire the trust we need. Here are a few that work
for me: I have everything I need. I have nothing to fear. I trust
that I am being cared for. I trust myself to do the right thing.
Jesus
used these words: “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” Say them
often.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment