Finishing the Race – Strong! (13)

Continuing from our last post:

4. A fourth reason that we succumb to peer pressure is fear. We may be afraid of disapproval, afraid of not being part of the “group,” afraid of losing our sense of identity. We may also be afraid of losing our job, of not getting a promotion, of conflict; there are likely other things we could add to this list. If we are dealing with fear, whether in ourselves or others, we ought not to minimize or dismiss it; fear in its many forms is real and it can be paralyzing. We don’t seek elimination of fear, rather we seek the Presence of Christ and courage and assurance in Him as we confront fear. Paul writes, “When we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within” (2 Cor. 7:5). 

Our Good Shepherd will care for us amid fear. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; You rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:4–5).

When we fear, our Good Shepherd is with us and will protect us and walk with us through our fear. Knowing Jesus includes knowing Him when confronting fear. Our first response to fear ought to be to call upon our Lord Jesus and seek Him and trust in Him. As Jesus trusted His Father in the Garden and on the Cross, so we learn to trust Jesus and our Father in our own gardens and as we live in the Cross of Christ and the Cross of Christ lives in us. 

Let me please share two verses with you that have been vital to me throughout the years. I’ll begin by saying that I grew up in fear and insecurity. I fit one of the classic profiles of a child of an alcoholic. I don’t talk about this much, and I don’t write about it hardly at all, because I tend to keep away from the autobiographical, I want to focus on Jesus, always on Jesus. I think that the autobiographical route can lead to much speculation and “what ifs” and unhelpful analysis. I don’t think we find peace and healing in perpetual self – analysis, I think we find wholeness in the Person of Jesus Christ. Also, regarding my Dad, because he came to know Jesus during the final weeks of his life, and because a few years before he died our relationship was better than ever, I want to recall how Jesus worked miracles in my Dad (and in me!), not those earlier years. 

I should probably also write, in case it might help someone reading this, that there are times when understanding the dynamics of our fears can either dispel them or dissipate the fog surrounding them. Sometimes this is possible, sometimes it isn’t. In my case, when I was in my late 30s, I read about the adult children of alcoholics and I said, “That’s me!” I realized that my own fears and insecurities were rooted in the violence and uncertainties of my early years. Yes, yes, of course there were spiritual dynamics in all of this, we ought to view things holistically; but life experiences can open our souls to accept things which are not of our kind heavenly Father, and when those things, such as fear, are embedded within us, we have poisonous weeds in the garden. 

I hope that those readers who cannot relate to what I’m saying will bear with me, I didn’t intend to go in this direction. I also hope that those of you who can relate, in some measure, to what I’m writing will take courage – Jesus is indeed our Good Shepherd and He loves us so very deeply. 

Well now, this is a blog and not a book or a full-length article, so I will pick this back up in the next post in this series and hopefully we’ll consider two verses that have been vital to my life when confronting fear.