Fear

In the 11/09 issue of Wired magazine in an article entitled An Epidemic of Fear: One Man's Battle against the Anti-Vaccine Movement, Amy Wallace notes that anecdotal evidence rather than science fuels fears of people. People, she says, have a propensity to take two events and links them. For instance, I eat a hot dog, that night I get sick. The hot dog was bad. I visit Philadelphia. I get robbed. Philadelphia is a dangerous city. In her case, a child gets a vaccine. The child displays autism. The vaccine gave (triggered) the autism. It turns out that the science proves the last statement wrong.

 

Only science can produce the link, if there is one. Yet we persist, especially if our thoughts produce fear, in thinking things are linked that are not or may not be linked.  We believe strangers will abduct our kids while relatives do it more often. We worry about shark attacks while drunk drivers kill scores more.

 

More and more, people I meet link Christian commitment to stress and busyness. "I don't have time for church." "I don't have time for prayer." "I am afraid to help for fear I will over-commit." We fear commitment. While I am not sure of the science, my Lord disagrees.

 

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.                                             Mark 8:35 (NIV)

 

Jesus teaches about the liberated (read one without fear) life comes from commitment to the Gospel. By "the Gospel," I mean what God created and equipped and called you for. Over-commitment comes when we do things God does not ask us to do or we do them poorly because we do not seek help in improving our gifts. Commitment to the Gospel is nothing more than commitment to love.

 

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18 (NIV)

 

Love is not a feeling here but an attitude of sacrifice for others for God's sake. God is well aware that he made 24 hours in a day. His call for our commitment will fit into that day. We need to be well aware of what does not fit into that day. For that, we must seek God. Most of those "ill-fitting" things we do out of fear – fear of being disliked if we don't, fear of what others will think, fear we are not doing enough.

 

May you know God today and may he heal any busy areas and bring you peace through your true calling.