Truths about fear

Truths about fear

My brother—who is a carpenter like Jesus—was working on a roof once when it began to rain, turning the surface into a slippery slide, and he starting going down head-first. He doesn’t remember much about the fall but his co-worker saw him crab a cord, which righted him mid-air. He still hit the ground, breaking his T12 vertebra, but the good news is he lived to tell the tale and wasn’t paralyzed.

Fear caused my brother to reach for that cord. Fear is a natural human instinct with the amazing ability to save us from some close calls. We couldn’t survive without fear. It’s also true that we are not created to live in fear. Living in fear is often a coping mechanism developed over time, and it can severely affect our health and well-being.

My brother went back to working on roofs and I’m sure he takes extra special care. The fact that he doesn’t remember falling is normal. God made our bodies such that we rarely recall pain or trauma. We remember stories about events that were painful or traumatic but—and this is very good news—we don’t have to relive the horror.

During Advent and Christmas we will once again hear the nativity stories, and some of us will recall the slaughter of the innocents that accompanied Jesus’ birth. Throughout his life and even when he was dying Jesus experienced fear. That’s because he was human. But Jesus chose not to live in fear. He embodied truth, forgiveness, justice, and a love that takes the sting out of death. The good news is we live to tell the tale and are not paralyzed.