October 29, 2008 ~ Fear Itself

Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.

~ Isaiah 41:10 (The Message)

Hurricane Ike passed through here over a month ago, yet today I saw a few houses with windows still boarded over.  It made me remember a geology professor that I had.  He was from upstate New York and moved to Houston in the mid-1980′s, but when he moved here he brought with him a profound fear of hurricanes.  Professor B. never lived through one, never had family who did, but merely the thought of the howling winds, driving rains and rising water terrified him to a level that even he recognized as unreasonable.

One day in class he told us that, when he first moved to Houston, he was so fearful of a potential hurricane, that he boarded up his house as soon as Hurricane Season arrived and kept it that way until it was officially over.  If you are unfamiliar with the length of Hurricane Season, I will remind you that it begins on June 1 and ends November 30!  He said that he wanted to be certain he’d be ready to dash at any given moment.  He would laugh when he said that his home was like a cave throughout the summer and most of the fall months too and that, though he knew his neighbors were bothered by his seasonal practice, he couldn’t help continuing his efforts to keep the fear at bay.  After a while he said that he improved a bit and only put them up once a storm entered the Gulf, which of course happens most every year.  He was a particularly jolly fellow, always starting each class with a few jokes or funny stories, and given his affable nature it seemed all the stranger that he had invested so heavily in coddling such an irrational fear.

Professor B. didn’t get to finish the semester with our class.  His health grew poor just beforeThanksgiving and he was hospitalized, and by Christmas break he was gone.  As you can imagine, his death was sad for his students and everyone at the college who had known him over the years.  He was a great guy.

So today, seeing those windows still boarded up made me think of him.  All those years he spent nurturing a fear that was to never materialize.  He never did see a hurricane firsthand; never had to run from one.  Still that fear was a powerful force in his life for years and years. 

He’s not alone.  Everybody has fears that are powerful forces in their lives.  I’m goofy-afraid of water and have been since my earliest recollection.  Even the swim instructors saw it in me and expressed it to my mother, when I was just a tot less than five years old.  They couldn’t do anything with me and I was removed from the class for the sake of the other kids.  Now I’m far more capable of reason and I still don’t want to get on a boat or take a swim lesson.  And if you’re a swim instructor, you’d probably be happy to hear that I’m not enrolling in your class!

Some fear is reasonable, and if Professor B. had been afraid to ride out a Cat. 5 hurricane, I’d say he was a pretty smart guy.  If I were afraid of water churning with alligators or sharks, I’d be showing a rational fear too.  Still, most of the stomach-turning terror we feel is over imagined situations that will likely never happen. 

The scripture says:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

~ 2 Timothy 1:7

… so it doesn’t sound like God wants us to live our lives in fear, does it?  In fact:

The Lord is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The Lord protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid.

~ Psalms 27:1

Let’s get real:  I am not living a fear-free life right now – that water thing still sort of gets to me – but I am beginning to understand how pointless and life-robbing most fear truly is.   I think of all the summers and autumns where Professor B. kept the sunlight from streaming through his windows.  All the views of flowering trees, green grass, and clear blue skies that he allowed to be taken.  And I think of all the times I might have enjoyed the beach or trip to a lake, even the brief time when John bought a boat, thinking it would entice me to view the water in a more reasonable way.  Yes, fear takes away so much.  With God’s help we can let go of its thieving grip and realize the power in His great love for us which can overcome even our greatest fears.   

xxoo

xxoo  You Shine

xxoo

You Shine (lyrics)

Why should I fear man,
When You made the heavens?
Why should I be afraid,
When You put the stars in place?
Why should I lose heart,
When I know how great you are?
Why should I give up,
When Your plans are full of love?

In this world we will have trouble,
But You have overcome the world!
You Shine,
Brighter than the brightest star!
Your Love,
Purer than the purest heart!
You Shine,
Filling us with courage and strength
To follow You!

Why should I fear man,
When You made the heavens?
Why should I be afraid,
When You put the stars in place?
Why should I lose heart,
When I know how great You are?
Why should I give up,
When Your plans are full of love?

You Shine,
Brighter than the brightest star!
Your Love,
Purer than the purest heart!
You Shine,
Filling us with courage and strength
To follow You!

In this world we will have trouble,
But You have overcome the world!
You have overcome the world…!

You Shine,
Brighter than the brightest star!
Your Love,
Purer than the purest heart!
You Shine,
Filling us with courage and strength
To follow You!
You Shine,
Brighter than the brightest star!
Your Love,
Purer than the purest heart!
You Shine,
Filling us with courage and strength
To follow You!

You—- Shine—-,(oh Lord! oh Lord give us courage,
give us courage and strength, to follow you!)
You—- Shine—-! (to the ends of the earth! oh Lord! oh Lord!
We’re gonna follow, we’re gonna follow You!)

xxoo