Iget that this will make me seem like I’m 104 years old (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but my husband and I have watched the TV show Survivor since its very first season back in 2000. I realize that many of you weren’t even born in 2000, so you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you that somehow Survivor has managed to hold our attention and our interest for sort of an astonishing number of years.
Well. The other day I was catching up on a couple of episodes from the most recent season while I was cooking supper, and one of the contestants was analyzing his state of mind before he started playing the game.
“I’ve had a gigantic fear of death,” he said, “and over the years it’s morphed into something far worse: a fear of life.” His words stopped me in my tracks. I rewound the DVR so I could hear his statement again, and I thought, That is it! For so many people, that is it!
WE FEAR LIFE.
I don’t mean that we’re scared that life is going to jump out from a dark doorway, but we fear all the ways life asks us to be vulnerable, to stick our necks out, to take chances. We look for our security in our circumstances instead of resting in the security of being loved and known by God.
- Instead of taking a big shot and trying to make a wide-open basket, we do the safer thing and pass the ball.
- Instead of applying to an out-of-state college that we can’t stop thinking about, we do the safer thing and register at a nearby school.
- Instead of asking a teacher for feedback on a short story we’ve written, we do the safer thing and file the story in a computer folder.
- Instead of singing on the worship team at church, we do the safer thing and confine our singing to the pew.
- Instead of starting a Bible study for younger girls, we do the safer thing and tell ourselves that we’re not qualified and that they probably wouldn’t show up anyway.
In little ways and big ways, we fear life.
And to a certain extent, we fear for good reason. Life is messy and risky. Every day brings a fresh opportunity to embarrass ourselves, fail miserably, and endure some degree of humiliation in front of other people.
But Scripture offers certainty that soothes our fear and our doubt. Scripture says, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance” (Psalm 16:6). Scripture says, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Scripture says, “Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
So when the Lord leads us—whether it’s by gifting us in certain ways or nudging us in certain directions—we don’t have to be afraid. He is our Shepherd and our security. Even when the world might say we’ve failed, we have the peace of knowing that we’ve been obedient to what God asked of us.
Heads up, everybody. Eyes wide open. Live boldly for the One who created and called you. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR.
1. Do you consider yourself a fearful person?
2. If you had to name one thing you fear more than anything else, what would it be?
3. Would you say that, to a certain extent, you have a fear of living? Maybe not in general but in a specific area or two?
4. Look up Psalm 34:4. Write, doodle, illustrate it here.
Today’s Prayer