No fear

by Tami Rudkin
Tuesday, January 29, 2008 1:22 PM MST

Every once in a while, I get stopped behind a truck (or sporty little car) that has one of those bumper stickers that reads, “No Fear.”

I’ve seen a few T-shirts with the same logo. And every time I read the words, No Fear, I think to myself, does anyone live with absolutely no fear?

I was at my quarterly retreat (at the monastery) this past weekend, and the topic of fear kept coming up.

When we were in our small groups, I heard things like, “I’m afraid if I don’t …” and “I fear the future because …”

The two Bible passages we were to look at over the weekend used the words “fear” or “afraid” several times.

It seemed to be a theme.

So I began asking people around me what they were afraid of. Here are some of their responses starting with the most common:

a. Those close to me (children) dying

b. Being alone

c. Having a life threatening disease (cancer)

d. Dying

e. Getting old (and being alone)

f. Financial security

g. Disappointing the people I love

h. Failing at my job

Do any of these sound familiar?

I am not by nature a fearful person. But, as I have thought about this in the last few days, I realize I have my own list of things I fear … some of the above and few unique to me.

So what do we do with this fear?

Chuck Swindoll tells a great story about this very issue. He recalls one night when he was babysitting a couple of his grandchildren. It was late, and being the good grandfather he is, he decided to spoil the kids.

Instead of putting them to bed early, they were laughing and wrestling on the floor when they heard a knock on the door. Not the doorbell, but a mysterious knocking.

Immediately, one of the grandsons grabbed hold of his arms in fear. “It’s OK,” Swindoll said.

They heard another knock, and Chuck started to the door. His grandson followed, but hung onto his left leg the whole way to the door. He hid behind his grandpa as he opened the door.

It happened to be one of his son’s friends who had stopped by unexpectedly. After he left, Chuck closed the door and his grandson, while still clinging to his grandpa’s leg, looked up and said in a strong voice, “Bubba, we don’t have anything to worry about, do we?”

And grandpa said, “No, we don’t have anything to worry about. Everything’s fine.”

Know why the little boy was strong and confident? Because he was hanging on to his protector. As long as he was clinging to his grandpa, he was safe.

Fear is a natural emotion. In fact, our bodies have a built-in alert system so to warn us of dangerous situations. However, we don’t have to be consumed with fear.

If we will hang on tightly to the hand of the creator and our protector, all will be OK. It’s a promise that God makes to his people over and over in scripture: “Do not fear … when you pass through the waters … when you walk through the fire …”

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” “Do not be afraid, for you are worth more …”

Do you have fear? Cling to God the father and wear a T-shirt that reads, “No Fear.” It may remind the rest of us to place our lives in the trustworthy hands of God.

(Larry and Linda Kloster sponsor this column.)

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