Just finished reading Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear. I can honestly recommend it not just as an inspiring book to read once or even pass on, but a reference to pick up and skim a chapter or two when we feel fear gaining a foothold. That’s how I’m going to use it. I’ll buy more copies to pass on to people, but this one? I’m keepin’.
When I first picked the book up and read the title – Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear – I thought to myself, I’ve been around the block a few times…there isn’t much I’m afraid of, so this book may not mean much to me. You see, I’ve always considered myself a bit of a risk taker.
As I read through the chapters though, I began to realize that the most paralyzing fear is not what you feel just before you bungee-jump for the first time (frightening – yet exhilarating…). Immobilizing fear is what you encounter everyday – fear of getting laid off, of not having enough money to pay the bills, of terrorists showing up in a town near you, of the weirdo that just moved in next door, of economic collapse, of global warming – I mean, just watch the TV news, it is packed with these insidious fears. It is these every-day fears that trap us in our ruts. Fear breeds anger and distrust. It turns us into people we don’t want to be. Like seeds fears are planted in our subconscious and we feed and water them everyday with the belief that we are completely alone out here!
Yet, as Fearless points out, scattered throughout the Bible are reminders of why we have no need to fear anything…ANYTHING.
For those of you who are like me and don’t know the Bible perhaps as well as we should, here are some examples:
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows”
“I tell you not to worry about everyday life – whether you will have enough.”
Oh, that’s a big one. Fear of scarcity is a very common and overwhelming fear. It causes us to go into debt, to steal, to hide and not to share with others. Have you seen the show “Hoarders” on A&E? That is fear of scarcity in action.
Let’s face it, there is a lot to be afraid of these days. Is there more now though than in other times? Every generation has had its wars, atrocities, natural disasters. The human spirit is pliable, we just have to remember the great good that is constantly watching over us.
Freedom from fear is a liberation we all deserve – it is our God-given right. So even if you think you’re not afraid of anything, pick up a copy of Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear by Max Lucado. You may not even realize that you’re afraid, or what your fear is doing to you and those around you. Fearless offers comfort by reminding us of the words of God:
