Thoughts on the Fourth Lesson of the Five Lenten Studies

Why Are You Terrified?

Mark 4:35-41 Luke 12:22-34 Matthew 6:19-34

In this third Lenten lesson, Pastor Jim asked us to list our fears. Here is what surfaced: “Pain, the unknown, loss of friends and loved ones, rejection, death, inadvertently hurting others, lack of control”. Then Pastor Jim challenged us to compare FEAR with ANXIETY.

Are fear and anxiety synonyms? Do some items in the list lean more toward one or the other? We are probably ‘hard-wired’ for self-preservation. So, fear might arise when facing the harm of a physical object or dangerous situation that threatens our earthly lives. But from where does anxiety or worry originate? Is anxiety and worry more diffuse, imprecise and perhaps, at times, irrational than ‘fear'? Does anxiety tend to fester and grow?

If there is a difference, then the Mark 4:35-41 story seems to be more about ‘fear' than ‘anxiety.’ The disciples and Jesus were in physical danger - in a boat on a lake in very bad weather. They thought they would die. (verse 38 ”…Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”) Jesus calmed the sea with the words, “Peace! Be still!” Then he asked them, ”Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” Is it because the disciples (and we, too) fear death and/or the dying process? Dying will happen to all of us; it even happened to Jesus.

Can the probable normal fear of losing our lives also become an anxiety? Are we experiencing anxiety more than fear when we contemplate death and leaving this world--- that we may feel abandoned, alone, and that God no longer cares for us? Some skeptics might question: did He ever care for us anyway (if He even exists)? If we believe that God is always with us, in life and in death (Romans 8:38), does that change what we fear and feel?

I recall two experiences where I was afraid of physical dangers. One was in a boat, in a sudden storm raging on Lake Huron, a very big body of water. My brother and I prayed, sang hymns, and physically did all we could to keep our boat from capsizing. We made it to the shore - tense from adrenaline, cold, wet, and with battered hands from holding the lines of the sail.

My other experience was driving my daughters, five and eight years old, from St. Louis to Michigan in a winter ice storm following the sudden death of my father-in-law. I prayed, and we sang “Wee Sing Bible Songs” for hours as we traveled. Suddenly ahead of us, I saw, stretching across three lanes of highway, cars sliding, hitting, and, finally, stopping. Some people were standing outside beside their cars. I saw no escape route as I moved forward, while gently applying brakes, and thinking, praying – “I can’t deal with a car accident (even if no one is hurt)! I need to get to Michigan in the next few hours.” My car continued to slowly slide forward and then stopped! My car touched another- but did not ‘hit’. I felt as if an angel had just placed a hand out to stop us. The two cars softly ‘kissed’ without a scratch! I turned around, looked at my girls and laughed. We slowly moved on our way.

In both the boat and car experiences, I was tense and scared by degrees the whole time. But the fear did not overcome me. I think that my faith in something beyond me, praying, and singing songs of praise bolstered me to keep my wits. I came through both of these dangerous, fear filled experiences, not somehow but triumphantly, and also humbly.

Worry and anxiety rather than imminent danger are the topics of the other two scriptures in this "why are you terrified?" lesson. In Luke 12:22-34 and Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus spoke to His audiences about daily life and lifestyles anxieties. Those ancient people, just as we, were concerned about their own and their families’ well-being. I do not think that when Jesus told them not to worry, that He believed their thoughts had no merit. But I think He was asking them to explore the source of those anxieties. Are those anxieties fixations on our first and foremost interests? Do we serve God and His kingdom, or do we cater to our own worries first? Jesus says we cannot serve two masters. Who do we believe we are called to serve?

Matthew 6:33-34 “Strive first for the kingdom of God… do not worry about tomorrow.” It may be okay to think about tomorrow BUT NOT TO WORRY about it. When I lay in the recovery room after giving birth to a daughter who presented with unexpected developmental concerns, I remembered the verses from Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart … lean not on your own understandings … He will direct your paths.” I certainly had some anxieties over the next year, but I believed that God would guide us to raise this girl in the best way possible, whatever the circumstances might be. It was a step in faith to believe that I would be helped and supported into the future.

I chose to trust God when my times in my life became fearful and anxious. That choice kept and keeps me centered – well, most of the time. My journey is still in process.

The fifth and last Lenten lesson will be "I am the Resurrection and the Life … Do You Believe This?" – Wednesday, April 5, 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall.

Written by Victoria Sherman