Fear

WARNING:  This was written pretty passionately, sometimes a little preachy, and if you don’t know my heart or you’re easily offended, you may not want to proceed.

So I am not an extremely political person and I struggle sometimes with almost being apathetic because I absolutely cannot stand the rhetoric.  I may not dislike politics as much as the media’s interpretation of it (which is really the only way I stay abreast to anything going on), but I also remember not really loving PolySci in college that much either.  Maybe it was because Daniel and I took it together the semester that we were engaged and I threatened to not marry him because he overslept and missed a test and almost failed the class.  I was being emotional, he was being irresponsible, and we were both better off after that awkward conversation in front of Holden Hall on the Texas Tech campus.

I guess my basic political view (which admittedly is pretty narrow since I don’t spend much time worrying about it), goes back to the idea of Jesus teaching and training his disciples to be fishers of men.  Although this has nothing to do with politics, it has everything to do with what life is all about which affects my worldview, which affects my view on politics.

Matthew 4:18-20 “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”

Matthew 28:16-20  “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So if Jesus taught his disciples to be fishers of men and then commissioned them to go and teach others and share with them the most important news to ever be known on earth, I want to live my life the same way.  I want to be about teaching people the truth, not handing them a free ticket.  I want to be given wisdom by God and then go share it with others, not allow others to just remain in my shadow.  I want to help disciple people into the truth and disciple them in observing the truth, not doing everything for them and wiping away their personal responsibility.  So I want to teach people how to fish, not just give them free fish.  Do you get what I’m saying?  It seems a lot like parenting to me, too, by the way.  We do not do anyone any good by just always meeting their immediate need for them and never helping them learn for themselves.  Or as the Chinese Proverb says: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”  So, it’s probably not hard too figure out where I stand politically although I could care less about “party lines.”  It really boils down to the worldview and then the character and integrity of the person being considered.

So this last week, politics are once again at the forefront of our country’s attention particularly as it relates to the economy.  I rarely keep up with any of this kind of stuff but I get the magnitude of this situation and when you add money to the mix, it makes politics that much more…umm crazy.  Of course I get that politics are important and drastically affect the world in which we live but I just do not understand living in fear.  And it seems even more these days that fear is what drives our politics and the American people’s response to our politics is governed by fear.  That is absolutely sickening to me!  Imagine basing every single one of your decisions based upon fear.  You would have no joy, no life, no friends, no peace, no security, no hope…and the list keeps going.  Yet, when it comes to politics, particularly surrounding the economy, we as a nation base almost every decision out of fear and live in a constant spirit of fear.

From what I understand from scripture, there is only ONE thing to fear and that is NOT fear itself, but the Lord God Almighty.  And this fear is that of awe, reverence, and respect…NOT being afraid.  Scripture has a lot to say about it but my favorite is this:

Proverbs 19:23 “The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”

Isaiah 41:10 “…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Now I understand that life is uncertain, that money is a big deal in our world, that jobs, business, college tuition, retirement savings, etc. are important to our way of life and providing for our families, and that bad decisions from the past and irresponsibility do catch up with you and make life difficult.  But, I’m begging you!  Please do not give into fear and allow it to rule your life, your worldview, and every decision that you make!  Life is not over, the sky is not falling, and we are not the center of the universe.  Does anyone remember that we are the wealthiest nation in the world and that most people on this planet struggle to find a crumb and some water at least once a day?  That our HUGE problems are going to be a blip on the radar of eternity.  So, please gain some perspective before making very irrational decisions.  I’m not trying to minimize what is going on.  It is a big deal and to be a good steward of all that God has blessed this nation with, something needs to change and rather quickly I might add.  So I’m not ignorant to the pressing struggles and its massive impact on the world.  But I would rather remember that North is still North, and that the Truth is still the Truth before we all lose our heads and become fools by making foolish decisions.  May I remind you…

Matthew 6:25-24 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Ok, I think I can take a deep breath now.  I need to read this, believe this and live this out just as much as anyone else. I just felt like I needed to get that out.    And now for a little more practicality.  Most people either love Dave Ramsey or hate him and although my husband works for him and we have bought into the common sense that he teaches, I have been especially grateful for his voice in our world this week. As a member of the media, he actually says what he thinks and believes is true rather than playing the political chess or seeking out popularity and just guessing at the next move that Washington is going to make.  And his voice of reason, which as been completely against the fear based decision making, is absolutely refreshing and encouraging.  So, if you have found yourself completely confused, overwhelmed, scared to death or worried about all that is happening on Wall Street and Capital Hill, I encourage you to check out what Dave is saying.  Even if you don’t agree with him, it’s kind of nice to hear “It’s ok” every once in awhile, you know?  Here are a few links to check out if you are interested:

Dave’s Thoughts About the Economy

More from Dave about the economy

TV Show & Radio Show

The Book Of Proverbs (something we all could benefit from reading this month)

So if you read this far, let me know what YOU think.  Thanks for reading!