Few things can sneak up faster or do more internal damage than fear. Left unchecked, it can almost shut us down completely, and eventually it will. A healthy fear can be a good thing though, almost like common sense. It’s good to have a healthy fear of petting a bear, speeding in traffic or diving off a cliff into water if you can’t swim. Our intuition (or first fear) lets us know if it’s something we need to stop and think about before we act. Gripping fear, on the other hand, tells to us run and hid so we don’t have to face it.
We’ve all known fear and we’ve all faught fear or anxiety from time to time in our lives. It does seems to be a growing epidemic in today’s not-so-grounded world. Out of control fear starts like any other seed of distruction, but when it’s left unchecked (not dealt with) and even fed, it becomes crippling before someone is even aware. Once jolly, happy-go-lucky and out-going people (the kind you want to hang out with all day long) turn up years later and you find them sad or scared, subdued, reclusvie or living lives of quiet desperation. Sometimes we find them in our daily lives and just never realize their situation, until we do.
Fear is very subtle at first. It is masterfully planted in our minds by Satan himself and fed circumstances in our lives to thrive on. (2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of sound mind.) Circumstances can range from simply watching or reading daily news events and dwelling on them to the point of obsession, to being overwhelmed with anything in our lives – too much debt, health or lack of it, education or job issues, trying to raise a perfect family in an imperfect world, being ridiculed or bullied by friends or co-workers and unknowingly allowing that fear to take over (instead of standing ground or getting help). And then there’s always believeing the lies that we aren’t good enough, pretty enough, smart enough or strong enough. Fear takes ahold of our senses and sends us into the darkness and tells us to stay there because it’s safer there. Nothing can get us there. This is the Prison.
The good news is that usually someone in our lives will be smart enough, compassoinate enough or have the good sense enough to let us know when things are getting a little out of control or when our behavior is such that it is obvious we are building walls instead of bridges, hideouts instead of community or family. Then it’s up to us to allow for intervention, seek help or lean on others to help break us out of this prison of fear. There is always help.
If we are the one who notices another person who seems to be living a life of quiet desperation, then it’s up to us to offer support, compassion, intervention or even outside help. If it is not accepted, and in many cases it might not be, intercessory prayer is always an option and sometimes the best. It certainly is our best tool if we are to help, and the best option if we are not the instrument of help.
I believe it was John Wayne who said that it’s ok to be scared, but go ahead and saddle up anyway. We all must face our fears. And in this fearful world, we must help others face their fears too, especially those stuck in the prison of fear.
~ Gwen of IRISH ACRES
