I had a urology workup yesterday. It was painful but endurable. The results were fine. No real problems. I had known I needed the tests for a couple of weeks and I had been fearful of both the tests and the potential results. I wasted much time and energy in those days in fear. Noticed I said “fear” not “nervous” or “anxious” or “apprehensive.” That was very brave of me. Those are the words we use when we are fear people will think less of us because we fear. Isn’t that ridculous. Fear is a universal condition.
Jesus was wise. He repeatedly advised His disciples not to fear. They still ran like scared rabbits when his torturers showed up with torches in the night. We like to think that after the Holy Spirit fell they became fearless. That’s probably not true. At least not right away. In the years that followed they went to foreign lands, they were whipped, ridiculed, tortured and killed. I gotta think they were sometimes afraid. But they did it anyway. After the first couple of times, they were less fearful. They learned that God was with them and it wasn’t as bad as they feared. The more they acted in spite of fear; the more they recognized the peace that surpasses all understanding and did the thing they feared anyway.
Fear keeps us from the lives we are called to. We are afraid that if people really knew us they wouldn’t like us, so we don’t open up. We are afraid people will think we are “Jesus Freaks” so we don’t tell them about Jesus and what He’s done for us. We don’t even say “Jesus.” We think we are bold if we say “God.” We don’t raise our hands in church or dance before the Lord or sing very loud. It’s not because we are proper or adults or conservative. We are afraid. It’s strange in Kairos guys will sing, dance and act silly before the Lord. They will do things in front of prisoners that they won’t do in front of their church brothers. Fear. They have learned its okay in that setting, but they haven’t transferred that to their home churches. Fear.
We don’t go on mission trips or to prison or to hospitals or nursing homes or even to our neighbors with the gospel. It isn’t because we aren’t “called” to those ministries or because we aren’t equipped, we are afraid.
It’s interesting that Jesus didn’t say, “Be nervous not” or “Don’t be apprehensive” or “Don’t be unsure.” He called it what it is, “FEAR.” The first step in overcoming it is calling it what it is.
The next step is that what we fear is almost never as bad as we think it will be. In Kairos we tend not to tell potential volunteers the complete truth. That’s not good. We don’t tell them all the obligations that come with serving in the ministry or the potential dangers. We know from experience that will be so blessed that all that won’t matter. The joy of service will greatly outweigh any sacrifice. Doctors do that. They say you will feel some pressure, or discomfort. They don’t say, “This will hurt.” They lie.
Most of the time the thing we fear won’t happen. And in every situation, the worst that could happen is that we could die and be with Jesus. How bad is that. A painful situation is just another opportunity for Jesus to show He can get you through.
What is fear stealing from you today? Grab hold of Jesus and do the thing you fear. You know you need to. It only hurts for a little while and there’s blessing on the other side.
Fear not and be blessed.
Nick
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