With all that’s going on in this world, if you never feel even a twinge of fear, I’m guessing you a.) are in a coma, b.) don’t watch TV, or c.) have learned to unswervingly trust the goodness and sovereignty of God.
As for me, “a” and “b” don’t apply, and while I truly aspire to be a fearless, trusting “c” person, sometimes I’m not.
I’m not proud that fear sometimes shouts more loudly than faith in my heart, but I will say this: when I’m afraid, it’s usually of things that actually could happen. Not so with everyone.
Even though the real world is quite scary enough, some folks seem to enjoy coming up with imaginary things to fear.
Like zombies, for example.
Did you know there are people who truly believe that zombies exist and will someday try to take over our planet?
Quite by accident, I caught part of a documentary on the History Channel about this very thing. Silly me—I thought the stuff on the History Channel was supposed to be factual.
The show about the “coming zombie apocalypse” featured interviews with a number of authors and researchers who believe that anyone who doesn’t plan for a zombie invasion is downright irresponsible and foolish.
Shame on us, they said, if we haven’t developed a personal zombie apocalypse survival plan.
Thanks to these experts, I learned how to most efficiently kill a zombie in hand-to-hand combat. In fact, I now know exactly where to conk a zombie on its head to make it explode. (I’m a visual learner, so I’m especially glad a diagram was included.)
I also know how to zombie-proof my house.
It was, mind you, all presented as matter-of-factly as a Weather Channel segment on preparing for a hurricane.
The only difference is that hurricanes are … hello … REAL.
I did a little research and discovered that the University of California-Irvine has included an eight-week zombie survival course as part of its elective curriculum.
I’m certainly glad the next generation will be prepared and that they aren’t wasting their time on useless subjects like, uh, science and business.
One guy commenting on the course said it was useful even if a zombie invasion doesn’t happen because if one is ever forced to forage for food, it’s always good to know that “possums are the real chicken of the forest, not squirrels.”
As I write this, our federal government is shut down. Our country is perched on the edge of a treacherous fiscal cliff. Our government leaders seem less adept at getting along than toddlers on a playground. America-hating governments possess or are developing nuclear weapons they’d love to point in our direction.
Murder and mayhem abound.
And now we’re also supposed to be afraid of a zombie apocalypse?
I think not.
Regardless, in the face of every scary thing this world actually does dish up—economic collapse, pandemics, terrorism, crime, accidents, natural disasters—Jesus still whispers, “Fear not.”
Over and over, the Bible says, “Fear not.”
That means there has to be a way to not be scared of scary things.
God’s grace to live fearlessly comes, I think, when we stop focusing on what might happen, or even what is happening, but instead meditate upon the perfect character of the One who holds our lives in His hands.
I’m pretty sure I’ll never need grace to face a zombie, but if I did, I believe God would give it to me.
In fact, I believe His grace will be enough for whatever comes.
Trusting that truth is the only way in this world to “fear not.”
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. …” (Isaiah 41:10a)