Tag: fear

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A Christian Response to Two Very Scary Things

Right now, we are dealing two interrelated and very scary things: a deadly disease and an economic depression. Both are extremely scary, and both are real threats.

How do we as Christians respond to these two very scary things? We can think of this on two different levels. How do we respond in a godly way to the scary things? And how do we respond to the scared people?

The answer to the first is courage, and you can read a summary of what courage means in this situation here.

The second question is more difficult. Here’s why. When we are scared, we have laser focus on the thing that scares us. We also want others to focus on what scares us. This helps make us feel safer.

When there are two scary things, it’s hard to focus on both and easy to want to focus on one or the other. Different people feel more scared about one or the other of the scary things and to different degrees. There is a spectrum of fear or concern on one side or the other. When someone doesn’t focus on the scary thing we’re focused on, it’s easy to feel threatened. This can lead to anger, accusations, and polarization.

So, how should we as Christians respond in this very difficult situation? Let me suggest four things: listening, humility, patience, and service.

1. Listening. The Lord commands us to do this, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19) This means that when we see someone who is scared, we should seek first to understand and then to be understood.

But it means more. It means we should listen not only to people. We need to be open to reality and the best sources of information wherever they may lead us. That is what it means to be a good listener in a more profound sense.

Let me give you an example. I am one who has been concerned about COVID-19 and has even said that the lockdowns are helpful. However, various people have brought Sweden to my attention because they are the one country in Europe that is trying to take some precautions but not asking people to shelter in place. Life is going on (with some qualifications). Some predict that the results will be an historic massacre. Maybe they are right. So far, we have not seen it. If Sweden does as good or better than those countries that locked down, then we will have some evidence that the lockdowns were not needed. That will be painful to admit, but we need to be open to it. That’s listening. That’s being open to reality.

2. Humility. We need to have a high value of others, even those who disagree with us. This is especially true of those who are in authority or those who have expertise. That doesn’t mean we should agree with everything they say. We just owe them respect and honor.

In these times, we as Christians are going to have plenty of opportunity to show honor to authorities with whom we disagree. Here’s a couple of examples. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida decided to open the beaches last week. Many people were outraged and attacked him because they were scared of the virus. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave quite a few regulations in her state that many people thought were too restrictive or even unconstitutional. People were outraged and attacked her because they feared an excessive lockdown. Now, you may disagree with those governors, or you may really like what they did. You may feel the need to protest, or you may feel the need to cheer. Both are fine, but either way, we have an obligation to disagree respectfully with everyone we disagree with but especially governing authorities.

A classic statement of the faith, The Heidelberg Catechism, captures this well. It asks, “What is God’s will for you in the fifth commandment [“Honor your father and your mother”]?” That I honor, love, and be loyal to my father and mother and all those in authority over me; that I submit myself with proper obedience to all their good teaching and discipline; and also that I be patient with their failings—for through them God chooses to rule us.” We can show by patient and respectful honoring of our leaders that we honor God. We have that opportunity in this time.

3. Patience. “Love is patient.” Says the Apostle Paul in his famous chapter on love (1 Corinthians 13). Patience with other people recognizes that people are at different places. We come to different conclusions based on different experiences at different times and at different rates. That is O.K. Patience is a willingness to allow for this difference and accept others where they are.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:14, the Apostle Paul has a great statement on the different places people are. “And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” Notice that he distinguishes the different ways that people can struggle. He even says you have to warn people sometimes. However, he says that with everyone, “be patient.” That’s what we need right now, too, patience, to allow people to work through these two scary things in different ways and at different paces.

4. Service. One problem with getting too focused on our fears, whatever they are, is that we can miss opportunities to serve those around us. Excessive anxiety can keep us from loving service. When we can overcome our fears and anxieties (not deny them!), then we can move outward in service. It also works the other way. When we move outward, it can help us overcome our anxieties.

The Christians in the early Church in the Roman Empire were well known for this. They went and served those dying of the plague when no one else would. We may not do that without taking some precautions that they did not know to take, but could we be known for that today? They will know you are Christians by your love, Jesus says. If we keep asking, who needs love? Who needs care? Who can I serve? What are my opportunities? It will keep us focused on the right things.

What a powerful thing it is to see Christians in a variety of ways stepping up to serve the people of their church and those around them. We need to lean into this in this time. We have a unique opportunity to show the power of God’s love in the face of fear through serving others.

Conclusion

These are scary times. It’s OK to be scared, but, as Christians, we can’t let it overwhelm us or keep us from loving other people well.

I commend to you listening, humility, patience, and service as four characteristics that can help us navigate a time when there are a lot of scared people. It’s not easy. The fear takes hold, and we want to run away or lash out.

But we’re not alone in trying to do this well. We have the Spirit of the risen Christ with us. We have the Church. We have innumerable examples of believers and Jesus Christ Himself who’ve walked through the toughest times and loved God and others well through them. That is our heritage, power, and opportunity.

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Photo by Anastasiia Chepinska on Unsplash

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To Be Brave Is Not the Same As to Have No Fear

Josef Pieper (1904–1997) was a Roman Catholic theologian and philosopher from Elte, Westphalia, Germany. He imbibed the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas but thought deeply about the rest of the Western tradition, ancient and modern (read a little more about him here). I have found his work a particularly helpful guide to thinking deeply and clearly about what it means to live rightly as a human being. His most famous work is Leisure: the Basis of Culture. If you want to get a sense of the breadth of his work, An Anthology, which he compiled at the end of his life is a great place to start.

In his book, The Four Cardinal Virtues, he describes the four virtues that the ancients considered basic to any good and virtuous life: wisdom, justice, courage (which he calls fortitude here), and temperance or self-control. In this scary time, I think we need very clear thinking about courage and fear. I found these few paragraphs a really good summary of the best I have read on the subject in the Western tradition:

To be brave is not the same as to have no fear. Indeed, fortitude actually rules out a certain kind of fearlessness that is based upon a false appraisal and evaluation of reality. Such fearlessness is either blind or deaf to real danger, or else is the result of a perversion of love. For fear and love depend on each other, and he who loves falsely, fears falsely. One who has lost the will to live does not fear death. But this indifference to life is far removed from genuine fortitude, it is, indeed, an inversion of the natural order. Fortitude recognizes, acknowledges, and maintains the natural order of things. The brave man is not deluded; he sees that the injury he suffers is an evil. He does not undervalue and falsify reality; he “likes the taste” of reality as it is, real; he does not love death nor does he despise life. Fortitude presupposes in a certain sense that a man is afraid of evil; its essence lies not in knowing no fear, but in not allowing oneself to be forced into evil by fear, or to be kept by fear from the realization of good. Continue reading “To Be Brave Is Not the Same As to Have No Fear”

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Courage

In the movie The Lord of the Rings, the soldiers of Gondor have moved back to the second level of defenses in the face of Mordor’s onslaught. Something unknown is banging at at the gates trying to get through. Then Gandalf says, “Whatever comes through those gates, you will stand your ground!”

What if we could approach every day like that? Whatever comes out the gates today, I will stand my ground?

What if we could face the scariest situations with calm and thoughtfulness without even losing our joy?

For many, this seems like an impossible goal, yet this is our calling as humans and Christians. Doing what is right and good and just is our duty and calling no matter how challenging or scary things get. This takes courage.

So, why are we so afraid? Why do we have so much anxiety? Why do we fall apart every time there is something difficult or unexpected?

Well, have we really worked at it? Have we really tried to become courageous people? And, what would it look like to work at it?

Let’s begin by considering what courage is.

Courage requires threats. It’s no virtue to move forward when things are easy. Entering into a contest you will easily win is not courageous.

Second, courage is not being rash or imprudent. Entering into dangerous situations just for fun is foolish not courageous.

Third, courage is not lacking fear. Fear and anxiety are natural human responses to threats that can even be helpful when the threat is real. To be anxious about riding a boat into a lightning storm on the lake is a good thing.

So, what is courage? Courage is being able to move forward in the face of our fears. Courage is saying I will do my duty even though it’s hard. Courage is holding to our principles when others want us to compromise. Courage is staying in a difficult place when we need to. Courage is being able to keep our head and heart when we face real threats.

If courage is so useful and good, then how do we develop it?

Let me give you four suggestions.

First, think about your principles. What are the things that you stand for? What things will you not compromise? What are your basic principles? What would you fight for? What would you die for?

Second, think about your threats. Don’t fear what you don’t need to fear. An astonishing number of threats that we feel on a day to day basis are either imagined or remote. For some reason, I’ve always freaked out over spilled drinks. I have seven kids, and so it’s happened a lot. Then, one day, a year or so ago, I realized: this is not a real threat. It’s not something to be afraid of. I can easily clean up the spill. Over time, I’ve learned to have less or no anxiety over spills. It’s been better for me. It’s been better for my family.

Third, think differently about scary situations. See yourself standing firm. Think about what would calm you when you are afraid. A Christian has a lot of resources, but one thing God always says when He calls people to difficult tasks is: “I will be with you.” That promise can fortify us in challenging situations.

Fourth, test your courage in small situations. Learn to say “no” when you think you should and are afraid to. Learn to gently share your opinion, even when you fear that others may react strongly. Learn to say “yes” when there’s no real reason to be afraid. We can train ourselves in the small things to have courage when the bigger threats arise.

Courage is not an option. The Bible tells us: “Be watchful. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13). However, it’s not only a command. It’s a good way to live. It means that we can go forward and do our duty and experience joy even in the face of the hard and scary realities of life. If doing what is right is good, courage is what enables us to do it at all times, even when it’s scary or hard.

Courage, my friends!

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