Our home community is an island, completely surrounded by water. We have the Atlantic that provides us with three miles of sandy beaches, then the Mungen River, New River, Cooper River, and Calibogue Sound as the other bodies of water that collectively cut us off from other land masses. In years past, island residents have drowned in the surrounding waters due to a variety of different factors. Most parents who bring their children to the water’s edge understand that they need to be ever-vigilant, guarding against the possibility that their child might unwittingly put themselves at risk. Fear of the water is completely reasonable, given the threat of drowning. Yet we tend to not engage in any of the normal responses to fear, being either fight or flight (or freeze) in response to the water. Those responses short-circuit our brains and induce a physical reaction, when the proper action here involves a more cerebral response.
Despite the threat, and despite any fear that we might have we seem to understand that we need to figure out a way to co-exist with that threat, exchanging flat-out fear for something more resembling respect. So, we learn to swim, we wear life preservers or ensure access to flotation devices, and we learn about the nature of the waters that surround us so that the waves and the currents don’t surprise us. We stay mindful that the waters can be lethal, but we take practical steps to reduce the risk, down to the point where some of our best times take place either in the water, on the water, or at the water’s edge. What was once fear morphs into respect as our knowledge and understanding increases.
It seems like there are so many loud voices shouting at the top of their lungs about things that we should be very afraid of today – things that might even be lethal to us. And if they aren’t a direct threat to our lives, perhaps they are a direct threat to our way of life, and what is promised is pain and suffering. Without discounting the possibility of death or discomfort, I suggest that fear is not the proper response to these threats either – at least not the sort of fear that causes us to fight, flee or freeze. We need cooler heads to prevail, and we need to respect the nature of these threats even as we are figuring out strategies that can reduce the likelihood of undesirable outcomes. While we benefit from having our basic animal instinct alert us to a potentially dangerous situation, we really need the full benefit of our human minds to understand the breadth of the threat and determine our best paths forward.
This is not unlike the saying from Proverbs 9:10 that states “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” There is no threat that we will ever face that should be feared more than God, but the proper response to that fear is to drive us to Him so that we get to know Him and understand Him. Fear driving us to respect, which leads us to wisdom. To carry that even further, our fear of the LORD can ultimately lead us to peace with Him, because we will learn to live according to His ways instead of our own.
Don’t be paralyzed by fear, or run away, or fight with all of your might. Instead of reacting, respond with your minds by seeking wisdom and understanding. You just may figure out a way to make that which once terrorized you the most joyful thing in your life.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron