As the anniversary of that awful day in NY (911) has been and gone - again, and the gymnasium in Beslan was targeted, we were all reminded of the fear of the threat of physical violence. As mother nature swings across huge land masses, many of us fear the effects of hurricane Ivan and his siblings.

 

 I have been thinking about fear for a long time, and have reached some conclusions.  We have ALL been afraid in our lifetimes; it seems to be part of the human condition. Afraid to walk certain places at night; afraid for our children’s safety; afraid of ‘failing’ our parents; afraid of “downsizing”; some of us are now afraid of flying, aware of the ever-present threat of terrorists; afraid to leave our homes, and who among us has not been afraid of the big “C” diagnosis?  And the list of things to be fearful of grows.

 

But, I refuse to live in fear. For me, it is simply not an option. And yes, I can see some of you shaking your heads, but really – why would ANY of us choose to give that much energy and power over to others. Because to me that is what fear is; that is what fear does.  And no, for me fear is not merely a concept. I DID live in fear for a loooooong time – I have faced every fear listed above, and more. I was consenting to live a half-life, if you will, because I was afraid of the “what if’s?  ”

 

I remember over a year ago talking in another chatroom (gasp) with a chatter who was telling us all the things she is afraid of. As I addressed every fear she shared, she got quite annoyed with me, “Oh you don’t understand.”  My response to her was “oh, actually I understand all too well. I HAVE lived with fear”. I then proceeded to tell of an incident in my life, which seemed to be a violent culmination of a lifetime of fear. That specific incident in my life actually turned out to be a major gift for me – but I digress.

 

I have come to see that fear, the debilitating paralysis of a life lived in fear, is a choice.

Yes, the world CAN be a scary place. But, I do not believe God meant us to live out this human life basing all our actions, or inactions, in fear.

 

Yes, we as humans do feel pain, both physical and emotional. Yes, outside forces can inflict that on us.  But, as I always told the kids I worked with for years: “We cannot control how others behave, only how we respond”.  Yes, if we walk in neighbourhoods known for their violent histories, we MAY get hurt, physically.  As we send our kids off to school, the store, the ballpark (choose the destination) we run the risk of them being hurt – or worse.  And no, as many of you know I cannot imagine the agony of losing a child – but my heart bleeds for you – always.

 

But, does fear of any of these mean we resign ourselves, or our children, to living half-lives?  Does my fear mean I should, for instance, lock my daughter in her bedroom until she grew older and wiser, so I would KNOW she was safe? (and yes, every parent relates to that – sigh). Does my fear mean I avoid certain areas of town, because some stranger might jump out and ‘hurt’ me?

 

For me the lesson of fear is simple. With faith there is NO fear.  Yes, I can acknowledge there may be physical danger in some situations, but I believe fear can be a tool, an opportunity to evaluate my human lessons. When I face “danger” I can choose to go boldly, confidently. For me, the KNOWING that God will see me through anything humans (or nature!) throw at me, frees me to live a FULL life, not a half-life. I have seen, learned, and believe God intends for each and every one of us to live a FULL life, stretched to our most glorious potential.

 

To do that – to truly liberate ourselves? We must choose to live, really LIVE…fearless.