Steadiness and Strength in a Fear-filled World

Last night after church I bought a bag of coffee at Walgreens. As I checked out, I asked the checker, a man in his 60’s how his day was. “Alright,” he said, with clear tension and anxiety written on his face, “as long as I don’t get sick.”

If he was being honest, he would have just blurted out, “I’m afraid.”

Fear.

Fear is a funny thing. Some of the most outrageous, preposterous decisions I have made have come in moments where I was very, very afraid. One night, years ago, I woke up to the sound of men shouting outside my home. I startled awake, reached for my husband, who was not in bed. The panic was instant and all-consuming, “where is Jon?” my head screamed.

We lived in an “interesting” part of town, not bad by any means, but one neighbor drove a hearse, was constantly drunk and played his electric guitar at all ours of the night. Another neighbor clearly sold drugs out of his home and another was a hoarder with a garage full of, shall we say, goodies.

It was weird.

So, when I wake up to yelling, and my husband gone, I immediately grabbed my phone, and called 911. I ran out onto the balcony, barely awake and searched below for Jon. I saw a man in the dark yelling, LOUD. While on the phone with 911, I swore I heard him say “SOMEONE IS BLEEDING TO DEATH.” Well. You can believe I told that 911 operator just that. “I just heard someone say that someone is bleeding to death!” I yelled, “and I can’t find my husband!!!” I ran back inside to find Jon’s gun he kept in the home. (Before you go any further, this is not a political statement at ALL, I just want you to know - I WAS SO FREAKED OUT THIS IS WHAT I DID.)

I started to run downstairs to grab our two dogs when I see Jon slowly, (CALMLY) walk up the stairs. He sees I’m on the phone:

“Who are you talking to??” he asked. Good question. Who do you talk to besides police at 3AM.

“THE COPS!!!” I said, “WHERE WERE YOU!?!”

“I was calming down our neighbor - “ before he could go further I stepped in,

“I couldn’t find you, and I heard men yelling and then I could have SWORE one of them said SOMEONE WAS BLEEDING TO DEATH!!!!!”

My hubs Jon, after 10 years of marriage, hardly reacts to my overreactions anymore.

“Jess. The guy broke up with his girlfriend and was drunk and making a scene, I went out to calm him down.”

“No one’s BLEEDING???”

“No one is bleeding Jess.”

I turned to the 911 operator: “hey….! So, everything is fine here. Big misunderstanding. A guy just broke up with his girlfriend…. Funny right?” She didn’t think it was funny. 2 minutes later 5 cop cars showed up in our town home complex. We laugh NOW. LOL.

Fear is weird, because, it makes you act in a way, and RESPOND in a way that is detached from REALITY.

Fear is a shouter. A bully. PUSHY.
And will make us act, well, a teeny bit crazy.

In the last week, our world has had a lot of reasons to be concerned. To act prudently. To make new choices. The Coronavirus and the fallout in the stock markets, affects on entertainment and travel, and closing of schools has been somewhat of a tidal wave this week.

And people are AFRAID.

Now, please hear me - I think planning, adjusting, making wise decisions for our communities and vulnerable citizens is IMPORTANT. Schools need to close, gatherings need to halt, precautions need to be made. HOWEVER. The fear and frenzy does NOT need to reign through it all.

The virus is new, yes. But this plague of fear: This is an old hat for humankind.

This is why Jesus talked about fear more than he talked about heaven, and more than he talked about hell.

This is why there are HUNDREDS of scriptures about fear. HUNDREDS of times the command to “fear not” is stated by our kind, all-knowing, all-powerful God. Why does he say this? BECAUSE FEAR IS A BULLY. AND ITS TRYING TO TAKE YOUR LUNCH.

As people of God, sons and daughters of light, Saints of a new hope - you are called - no, COMMANDED to be steady when the world is not. To be strong and faith-filled when the world is in chaos. To be like Christ on the worst day of his life: STEADY IN THE STORM.

Stay steady, Saints. God is still (TRULY) with us.