Fear

I have taken a few days off from posting to reflect; I think too often bloggers are quick with the first thing that comes to mind, but that is very rarely the wisest thing to say.

I have been reflecting on fear, the nature of fear and how it can be used to manipulate. Consider just a couple quick examples of what I'm talking about:

Remember how the economy was going to collapse and the end was near if we didn't pass the Stimulus Bill right now? Words like 'dire problems,' 'catastrophe,' and 'worst ever' were being tossed around in every speech, urging us to act now before it was too late. This enormous bill was passed so quickly that those voting for or against it did not even have time to read it. And so far, only about 10% of the money has even been spent. No one is sure exactly on what (similar to the TARP money, of which billions is missing, yes, missing), but the economy hasn't stopped bleeding. I am sure that when it does that the Stimulus Bill will be announced as a success.

Two words: swine flu. For a couple weeks, we were all going to die, thousands of cases, hundreds of deaths, don't travel anywhere, wear a mask, avoid the sick lest you perish. Close the schools, cancel vacations, lock your doors... oh, wait, it's no worse that the regular flu. Per the WHO as of today, 26 people have died, the number of confirmed infected is just starting to approach 1000 in 20 countries, total. While I am not taking these deaths lightly, words like epidemic and pandemic have been flying from the media as fast as they could spit them out. Can we take precautions against illness? Absolutely. Do we need to panic? I hardly think so.

As Christians, we recognize that fear is of the flesh, and we have been called to live by the Spirit. I John 4:17-19 instructs us as to how to conquer fear: love. God's perfect love casts out fear. Frankly, I am saddened for those who insist on struggling through this life without Christ - there is so much to be terrified of. If you live under the belief that this life is the most important thing you'll ever have, you will never risk it for anything. Instead, all ideas and philosophies become equal. Nothing is worth dying for, and so nothing is worth living for... and you worry immensely about everything being fair. One of the greatest gifts God has given us is His perspective while on this earth. We can know what is important; we can know what our purpose is, and that this world is not our end - it's not even our home.

We must live our lives in His love, and with His perspective; the fear then dissipates, and we can sort the truth from the lies absent the manipulation.