1 John 4:13-18 · Hebrews 2:15 · John 14 · John 16:33
Do You Remember Your Childhood Fears?
God, unlike fearful human fathers, uses love and reassurance to free us from fear. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are proof of God's protective presence and perfect intention toward us.
Do you remember your childhood fears? Some children are afraid of the dark and they want some type of light on when they go to sleep. Some children are afraid of monsters being under the bed and parents have to check before the final kiss and prayer. Some children are afraid of animals. So if they see a dog or cat, they seek a place of protection. Some children are afraid of loud noises. Some children are afraid of storms. Some children are afraid of being left alone. Some children are afraid of clowns. There are a variety of things that children can be afraid of.
Adults have fears as well. Sometimes you will hear of an adult who is afraid of the dark, or an animal, or being alone, or blood, but most of the time adult fears are a bit different. Some adults are afraid of the I.R.S. Some adults are afraid of their employer or losing their job. Some adults are afraid of their spouse. Some adults are afraid of losing their health. Some adults are afraid of dying. It doesn’t matter what age you are—being afraid is uncomfortable. Being afraid makes us feel insecure and uncertain and most of us prefer to feel safe and secure.
When we are children, we depend on our parents to help us deal with our fears. Let me tell you the story of Al. Al was five years old growing up in London. His father was a wealthy importer. Al loved his dad and so it seemed did Al’s father love his son. One day Al was playing at his house and his dad was home as well. Al’s father called to his son to take a note for him to the police station, hand the note to the police chief, and wait for a reply. Al took off. The police chief received the note grinned and then appeared bewildered. “Come with me,” he told Al. Little Al followed him through a door, down a long hallway, and through another door until he and the policeman were standing at the opening of a vacant, cold jail cell. Before Al knew what was happening, the police officer placed Al in jail and clanked the door shut with the simple words, “This is what we do to naughty boys.” And for the next ten minutes Al screamed and cried. Finally, the policeman appeared open the cell door and Al ran home.
From that day on, Al lived in fear. He developed several phobias. He didn’t have many friends. He developed a feeling that something bad was always getting ready to happen. And for obvious reasons, he became terrified of policemen. Al’s father never explained that day to him.
But the effects of that day stayed with Al the rest of his life. He constantly lived with a sense of suspense and uncertainty. And that feeling was translated into film. For Al grew and became the master of suspense—Alfred Hitchcock.
Most parents would not play such a horrible trick on their children. Most parents try to alleviate the fear that their children have. In fact, most parents go to great lengths to make sure that their children know that they are safe and protected. We don’t like it when children are afraid.
God is a good father to us. He doesn’t want us to be afraid. Over and over God told people not to be afraid. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus came and died so that we no longer have to be afraid of dying. Jesus tells us that he doesn’t want us to be afraid about the future. He has gone to prepare a place for us to live with him forever. Jesus tells us that he doesn’t want us to be afraid because the troubles that we experience in this world have already been dealt with. We may have to go through the trial but the victory is ours. God has done everything he could to reassure us about his power, presence, and purpose. Unlike little Al who had a father who used fear as a means of keeping him in line, our Father uses loving actions to reassure us that we do not have to be afraid. In fact, he announces in 1 John 4:18 that there is no fear in love because love drives out fear. God doesn’t want us to be afraid. And Jesus is proof of his love and the Spirit is proof of his intent. Let’s stay close to him.
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