Scared to Death
Are you Scared? You should be.
That is the question that has been presented many times throughout literary writings, thematic plays and movies.
You should be scared, there is plenty to be scared of. Everywhere you look there is danger. Cars are dangerous. People die in horrific accidents everyday. Guns... don't get me started on guns. Some people are so scared of them that they would have us believe even catching a look at a gun is dangerous. Almost as if the inanimate object would just start firing by itself. Health. Eat this and you will die... never-mind that your parents ate it and they outlived their parents. Don't even get me started on kids... don't let them leave your site. There is a creepy guy who wants to grab them waiting just around the corner. Then there is the other one who wants to sell them drugs, and their pears, at school, that will bully them into a massive heap of emotional turmoil. Their teachers are all horrible people who want to teach them some insane common standard that turns them all into mindless government zombies...Zombies that can't do simple math...because it's not simple anymore. Common Core Zombie Apocalypse. AHHHAaha!!! Ok, that last one is a little overkill, but nevertheless, it is something to be afraid of.
Speaking of the apocalypse, did you know that the end of the world is coming? It is! We are reminded of that every single day it seems. Something bad is going to happen that will end it all, make everything worse. It could be anything, the economy, the terrorist, the environment, some massive super volcano is getting ready to blow its top any day now and all of us are doomed.
There is so much to be afraid of. With the coming of age of social platforms fear seems even more prevalent. I used to not know every time someone got hurt halfway around the world. I never saw the everyday messes that so many people find themselves in. I would never know about lions getting shot, or stupid teens driving drunk around my town, then posting it to social media, but now, it's in our faces, every day, day in, day out. We can turn it off, but someone in our circle is right there to turn it back on, to tell us, to let us in on the fear that they fear. So much fear, surrounding us, inviting us to dive into it, even drown in it.
STOP. Breath in, Breath out. Breath in again. Take a moment and pause.
My understanding of the world makes me afraid, but there is a better way.
While doing a little research for this article I found out that phrase "fear not" Or it's equivalent in "non" King James translations, appears in the bible 365 times. Wow! That's incredible! It shows up one time, for each and every day of the year. Coincidence do to translation?...Maybe, but if it is a coincidence, what an amazing one. That means that God, the Great I AM was constantly telling us not to be afraid. He doesn't want us to live in fear, to worry or fret. He wants us to be free, to live, to love, to share. After all, what do we have to loose.
A great man once told me that fear was never a good reason to do, or not do something important. I thought that he was pretty smart, and that was a wise point, so I married him.
God has a great message for us too. Don't be afraid! Don't be so scared of everything that you don't do anything. Know that He is God. Live well, live free, and Fear Not!
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
