What are you afraid of? I don’t like spiders. Spiders are creepy. They’ve got too many eyes and legs. They dangle from webs hoping to catch small insects, but often catch me. Orb weavers really bother me. They are big spiders that live in trees. In the evening they come out and make they extensive webs that are sure to catch in your hair. Garden spiders are beautiful, but their webs are also hazards to be avoided in periods of limited visibility. I don’t like spiders, but I respect them. Did you know that most people ingest about 10 spiders in our lifetime? Yes, we get even with those pesky spiders by accidently eating them throughout our lives!
Fear of a virus is different. You cannot see the virus or its web. In the case of Covid-19, you don’t even know you have it for two weeks in most cases. Some people have light symptoms, while others die from it. It attacks the weakest of us and the elderly. Some people tend to ignore it until it shows up in their throat and lungs. Others fear it and refuse to be around other people. Perhaps as faithful Christians we can respect this viral threat without letting fear of it ruin our lives.
In 1 John 4:18, we are told that love overcomes fear. Here John is referring to our relationship with God, but I submit to you that this calculus works with other things in life also. No, I’m not saying we need to love Covid-19, but I think we can love God and our neighbors enough not to fear this virus. First, we need to love and trust God to the point that we know He is going to take care of us no matter what in this life and the next. God is in charge and our fear and worry solves nothing and belies our lack of faith. In this time of uncertainty, let us all look to God’s healing hand and give our cares and worries to Him.
Next, we need to love our neighbors enough to seek their well being over our own. That means we give up our self-serving fears and pray for those who need our help the most. We seek to help with those affected by the virus, but also those who have other ailments and needs. This will help us focus on others and get our minds off ourselves, and it will comfort those around us. Love can overcome fear if we will just let it.
I know this sounds relatively simple, but it may be hard to put into practice. My fear of spiders may cause me not to venture out where spiders are. It might cause me to act irrationally if I see or feel a spider. I may focus all my energies in staying away from spiders instead of trying to help others stay away from spiders. Trusting God to keep the spiders away is hard to do, but that is our goal and it starts with a daily conversation with God. “Please Lord keep me safe from the evil of spiders” might be our plea. Of course, with Covid-19 we can do the same thing. “Lord keep us safe and keep others who are exposed to the viral threat (medical professionals, travelers, etc) safe also.” We can start the journey from fear to faith by talking to God.
We can also start listening to God. While He may not talk to you directly, He is always messaging you. He speaks through Scripture, the Church, and our culture. God expects us to listen to Him just as our mom expects us to heed her warning to not touch a hot stove or brush our teeth. We learn about God and what He desires for us through the Bible. But we must open it to hear it. The Church expresses the Spirit of God in the world. We are inspired by Him and seek to shine His light into the world though our words and actions. Listen to the movement of God in our world through His Church. Finally, we can listen to God through His creation and how our culture reflects that creative force. Some are uncomfortable with this expression of God, but I submit to you that we should all hear God in His work here in our world. Romans 1 tells us that no one has an excuse for not knowing God based on what He has made. Additionally, we understand that humanity’s creative force of good things reflects God as we are made in His image. No, not everything in our culture is good, but many things are and should inspire us to love and serve God in new and different ways.
Fear should not dictate who we are in life. Our faith in God should. Sometimes we forget who God is and what He can do. We are talking about the eternal creator of the universe. He is in charge of all nature in our world and beyond. He creates spiders and Covid-19. Why would He do that? I don’t know, but l remember the discussion Job had with God when he was whining about his unfair treatment. In Job 38:4, Job is chastised by God as he is asked “where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” God continues to chide Job for his lack of faith in God the almighty creator of the universe and everything in it. Let’s not forget this story is about the “finest man in all the earth.” (Job 1:8) Perhaps the most important thing Job says is to his wife in Job 2:10 when he asks her “Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?”
Perhaps we should be asking ourselves the very same thing in this time of uncertainty and loss. Are we only willing to put our faith and trust in God when things are good? Can we look to God and His healing power when things are bad? We must continue to put our faith and trust in God now when things are dark as well as when life is good. God tests us to help us grow and develop spiritually. Many do not want to hear that message. In James 1:2, we are told to consider troubles of any kind an opportunity for great joy because it gives us a chance to develop our endurance so that we will be perfected (vs3). James is telling us that we should revel in the opportunity to grow spiritually through these trials. Our fear of testing may be normal, but James tells us to endure the troubles so that we can be complete.
Make a decision today to overcome fear with faith. Vow to trust God instead of yourself or doctors or talking heads in our media. Learn to communicate with God through prayer, study, and meditation. Become a child of God who matures into a faithful servant able to overcome the evil in this world through faith and love (1 John 5:4).
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