Living in Fear

This year has been full of so many terrifying things....hurricanes wiping entire cities off of their feet... tragic pointless shootings taking lives in the blink of an eye at schools, movie theaters, malls, concerts, and even churches.  Is nothing safe? Is any location or activity out of harm's way?  What are we to do to protect ourselves???

My first reaction today at the news of Las Vegas, my hometown, was No Concerts EVER!!! But now I sit back, breathe, and pray.  I'm reminded of the encouraging words of Paul, "For God did not give us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."  This spirit of fearfulness and doubt is not what we are called to do.  Jesus himself warned us that we should "not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul."  I'm not supposed to instill in my children (or myself for that matter) a fear of all the things that can go wrong.  I shouldn't hide away fearing what could and might happen.  Yes, I can exercise caution, but not fearfulness.  Not fearfulness when there is power, love and sound mind.

As we drove through town this evening, my son asked me what event caused the flags to be at half mast.  I explained about the heartbreaking sadness of evil taking the lives of the innocent and how the whole nation is mourning for them.  In my reflections on the pointless loss and pain,  the rest of Jesus' warning came to mind, "Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."  The true evil one is out there, disguised in many ways, searching whom he can devour.  And yet, when he attacks, when his victims fall, often we don't mourn for them.  We don't put up an outward show of flags at half mast for another soul who has fallen prey or weep because a life is no longer thriving.  How would we react if every time we fell to his evils, everyone heard...everyone mourned?  How would we feel if each time we slipped, everyone prayed for our lost life, prayed for another chance for us...for more time?  Wouldn't we live more cautiously?  Wouldn't we be looking out, living, but being more on guard, full of caution?

I mourn for all of these losses of life in both the body and the spirit.  My heart and my prayers ache for them and their families.  May God continue to give us strength in this world and the one to come.  And may we each put on the full armor of God as we face the true fear that is out there.