What accelerates your breathing?
What makes goose bumps form on your skin?
Causes difficulty swallowing?
Invites butterflies into your tummy?
What scares you?
Into every person’s life things will go bump in the night. Our fears are very individual, very unique to each of us. Some fears in childhood dissipate as we get older and mature, others (perhaps a fear of the dark) remain, but we learn to manage.
One person’s fear of thunder and lightening storms may be another’s delight. One person may love to climb to the top of mountains or towers, for the joy of looking below and another may grow dizzy just imagining it from below. Some are fearful of ever throwing anything out (hoarding), whereas others fear loosing the freedom of openness and space.
Some are paralyzed by their fears, others are energized and motivated by their fears.
Today is a celebration to fear … thus, we humans must, at least, revere it in some way.
As Jesus was with his disciples, after the last supper, but before his arrest. During this time he explained his coming departure, he encouraged them, he spoke words of hope to them, words to alleviate their fears. He constantly reminded them that they would not be alone, but that the Spirit, the advocate would be with them.
Fear of being alone is a common human fear. One that has existed since things went awray in the garden.
Jesus speaks (John 14:1-4) to this fear of perceived abandonment:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
When I read these words,
” … that you also may be where I am”
I feel an instant peace, an erasing of fear. My breathings slows, the goosebumps disappear, the butterflies fly away. This, this very message and hope is the good news of the gospel.
itsawonderfilledlife 