Don’t worry about fear

There’s a well-known saying that says “you’ve nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Aung San Suu Kyi put it another way, saying “The only real prison is fear. The only real freedom is freedom from fear.”  We do this all the time – speaking of facing our fears and standing up to them, of examining what it is that we fear, and overcoming it. We’re putting fear on a pedestal,  as if our fears themselves had power.

Well good news, people, it’s better than that! Fear is not a terrifying, disorienting fog. It’s just a mist in the morning, with the sun already risen and about to burn it off.

We don’t have to place our fears under a spotlight, and struggle to combat them. We don’t have to worry if we feel afraid in case it will weaken or imprison us in some way. Feeling afraid is just that – it’s a feeling. It has nothing to do with the reality of who we really are in Christ.

The truth is, we don’t have to be afraid of anything, not even of fear, because Jesus has taken care of all of that for us. Over and over in the gospels he reassured us – don’t be afraid, don’t worry, I am with you, your Father will take care of you. He tells us this not as a rule that comes with consequences, but as a loving God who wants to open our eyes to what he has done for us.  Not “Don’t be afraid or your fears will eat you”, but rather “Don’t bother being afraid because God loves you.”

So if you feel afraid, don’t worry about it. Look away from the fear instead of analysing it. Look to Jesus, look to the love you know comes from God. Give Him the problem to hold, and look instead at Him, and watch the fear burn off like morning mist in the light of His presence.

Luke 12:32                          “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom”

John 14:27                          “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Psalm 112:7                        They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

Ephesians 1:19-21            That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.