Fear What?....Fear Not!

It's been said that  fear is irrational and on many levels I believe it is.  I have two people who are close to me who are ridiculously (my view) afraid of cockroaches and lizards.  Surely these creatures will gross you out, but the ones that are often seen running in the houses in Jamaica and The Bahamas are fortunately not poisonous, still my loved ones are fearful to the point of hyperventilation.  If we are truly honest with ourselves however, every person has that something that makes him/her shudder; but what do we do when that fear crawls in?  To that person who is afraid the rationale behind their phobia is very real...if only to them.  Most cannot articulate the specific reason for this feeling, they only know it's there and that they can't seem to shake it.

I recently decided to do some introspection in order to identify some of my fears so that I could work at overcoming them, that's the way to beat 'em right?  Face 'em.  My approach however took a spiritual spin to it.  I've realised that some will be more easily beaten than others but that hasn't quelled my desire to tackle them.  I also recently read an article about a woman who gave in to her fear of remaining childless.  It immediately brought me in remembrance of Abraham and Sarah of the Bible, who in Genesis 16 - 17 decided to take matters into their own hands because they feared God was a little behind time with the promised heir.  The amazing repercussions of that action brought about by fear is evidenced by the Middle East upheavals even today.  My point is fear exists at the absence of love, and by love I mean spiritual love that comes from trust in God.

It is a little tricky to try to define fear.  The English language is sometimes so limited that the use of the same word for various meanings may influence us to use the word so loosely that we misunderstand its importance.  When I have a reverential fear (as we ought to have for God), it is one birthed from respect, a knowledge of who He is; similarly the fear/awareness of the reality of the consequences brought about from making bad decisions, are positive and not to be confused with the fear/anxiety brought on by a threat, often unfounded, of  some unpleasant experience.  I had a fear of drowning that existed from youth well into adulthood.  My fear was so strong that I could feel my body constricting every time I would stand in a swimming pool or in the sea at the beach.  I was extremely nervous when I had to go on a boat or a raft and wasted my afternoons for an entire semester attending swimming lessons while in college.  It was not until I released the fear that I was able to begin to learn and progress as a swimmer or enjoy a boat ride.  Instead of permitting that fear to overpower and control my emotions, I sought and executed the steps that would help me to surmount my barriers.  Certainly thousands have succumbed to the unfortunate fate of drowning, but knowledge of that reality has served to inspire and not prevent me. 

What do you fear?
Why are you afraid?
How can you begin baby stepping towards and over that fear?