Living Fearfully

Yesterday on a facebook page that has to do with homesteading, a link was posted regarding the decision of the Copley Square store that removed pressure cookers from their shelves.  Not because they were afraid there would be a rush of terrorists.clamoring to purchase one, but out of respect for the many victims of such a horrific event.   If I owned a certain make and model of car, in a particular color, that was identical to the car that was driven by a drunk driver and wiped out the family next door, I would be mindful not to drive that car to the funeral, why, because I was afraid a second drunk driver might steal my car and do the very same thing to the neighbors on the other side of me, of course not,  It would be out of respect, not wanting to produce any painful emotions to those people I want to comfort in some way.  The same mindset motivated that store in Bostons Copley Sq,  But on the facebook page regarding this link....fear blinded compassion.  Fear motivated insensitive remarks about how stupid it was and how stores should remove backpacks etc.  We have somehow, allowed this fear of having our rights stepped on that our thoughts of compassion have been pushed to the back and we forget to have feelings of kindness and sensitivity when we need them. 

I hear all the time, people shouting about their rights being violated and how we are going to end up like Hitlers time.  I hear people fearful of the world being over run by this group or that group.  I hear people fearful of having nothing, so they hold on to everything, soon drowning in the junk they have collected.  Buying storage space for things they have long forgotten about or replaced with new stuff.  So many have put fear in the limelight.  It often seems like the more religious a person is, the more fearful they are. Fearful of the "evil" forgetting who is in charge I think.  Forgetting they believe in a powerful Creator that is a loving Father.  Good fathers always make their children feel safe, even in the midst of chaos.  A strong but loving arm can chase away all the things that could go bump in the night.  God, certainly is a good Father, but we seem to forget the verse that says, "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

The state of the world should not remove from us, the ability to feel confident in the love that God has for us and shows us.  The state of the world should not fill us with fear that is so pervasive that it can push aside our ability to understand compassion when its presented to us.  The state of the world cannot be more harsh now than in the time of Christs birth when baby  boys were rounded up to be killed just because they were born boys at a time when someones fear had pushed them to do so.   The world will always have pain and suffering, we make it be so just because we are human.  But living so fearfully that we cannot see clearly is a dangerous place.  It is a faithless place, it is a Godless place.  It is a place where we pile our own weaknesses by the cartload, over the words of promises, that God will care for us, even when things go bad.  That He will shelter us under His wings, and hide us for a while in the safety of his arms.

Let your faith be stronger than your fear, let your heart see goodness in good, and not have it hidden by fear of misunderstanding.  See the kindness that was shown to those in the bombing area for what it was.  A store hiding a reminder of the pain.  Not some fear driven action that you think it was, a reaction to your own fears.

If you are a believer, memorize these words and then believe them.

Psalm 91

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he^[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”