The Root of Fear (November 7, 2012)

…Opening To…

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer… I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me… Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. (Frank Herbert, Dune)

…Listening In…

“Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights in giving you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to those in need.” (Luke 12:32-33a; context)

…Filling Up…

When our childhood fears reared their ugly heads, our parents told his to face them. That’s how to defeat fear, they said, and we believed them. Then we got older and that advice started to seem flimsy because the fears are so real. But Jesus gave us the same advice, so maybe we should listen to it!

But before we get to that, we first need to address where fear comes from. The root of fear is deprivation, the feeling that there is a lack of something. We fear when something has the potential to become scarce. We fear when we perceive that there is not enough of a certain something. Supply and demand economic theory is based squarely on this reality. The root of fear is deprivation. You can trace all fears to this specific cause, even though specific fears may appear quite differently.

Fears manifest themselves one way or another depending on the nature of the deprivation. If you are afraid of the dark, you fear a scarcity of light. If you are afraid of getting turned down by your crush, you fear the loss of the dream you’ve created for yourself. If you are afraid of contracting a terminal illness, you fear being deprived of a long, healthy life.

You can trace all fears to specific deprivations, and by confronting the sources of scarcity, you can face your fears. Jesus identifies the disciples’ source of fear when he says to them, “Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights in giving you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to those in need.” Jesus assures them that their fears are baseless because their accumulation of stuff will not help them enter the kingdom of God.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you offer abundance, but usually I see only scarcity. Help me to let go of fear by seeing your abundance in my life. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.