Hope in the Midst of Fear

We live in scary times. North Korea test fires nuclear weapons and the missiles to deliver them while renouncing their peace agreement with South Korea. The Taliban makes further advances into nuclear-armed Pakistan, while Iranian leaders seem hell bent on creating their own weapons of mass destruction. Nearly eight years after 9/11, al Qaeda is still out there, plotting to kill even more Americans.

Among our more immediate concerns, the economy worries us most of all. Every day we hear of new lay-offs, long-time businesses shutting down, and corporations going into bankruptcy. Incomes are slashed as workers are given unpaid furloughs. Credit card bills mushroom out of control, and the card companies raise rates on money already borrowed. Grocery and fuel prices rise while income falls. Predictably, theft and break-ins are on the increase. Local and state governments, facing huge shortfalls, cut services at a time when they are needed most. We stand by helplessly as our federal government spends incomprehensible amounts of money, mortgaging our future and our children’s future.

In light of these very real threats to our way of life, FDR’s famous pronouncement that “All we have to fear is fear itself” seems somewhat Pollyannaish. The dangers we face are all too real. But just because fear is not the only thing to be feared does not mean it should not be feared. (You may need to read that sentence twice.) When fear grips a nation, ugly things happen. People look for someone to blame and simplistic solutions to their problems. They demonize those who think differently about the problems we face rather than cooperate with them to find real answers. Our fears divide us into enemy camps where we hunker down, at a time when we need to unite and take action. The news media, loving nothing better than a good fight, perpetuates the problem by focusing on the extremists and their sound bites.

Fear causes us to forget. We forget that others have been through worse times and emerged stronger than ever. WWII must surely have seemed like the end of the world to those who lived through it. Our current crisis pales beside The Great Depression our grandparents somehow survived. We also forget all the many blessings we enjoyed when times were better. We forget to be thankful for what we’ve still got – which is plenty.

Fear causes us to over-react, taking actions we would never consider in better times. We allow our government leaders to assume ever-greater control, forgetting the words of Benjamin Franklin, who said, “Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.”

Fear immobilizes us. It steals our joy, and blinds us to all that is still good and right in the world. I should know, because I’ve battled with this demon for most of my life, and I like to think I’ve learned a few things about how to deal with it. Sometimes we just need to turn off the television and walk out into the sunshine. As the psalmist said, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” We here in western North Carolina are fortunate to see those hills on a daily basis. Sometimes I just have to sit in my porch rocker and stare out at the blue mountain range surrounding me. Those mountains are eternal, just like the God who made them, and He will always be with me, no matter what happens in the future. Those hills have stood through wars, riots, and financial crises. They will continue to stand throughout the course of time, and so can we.