WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR EXCEPT…

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” --- Matthew 6:34

I remember when I was young I had great fear for quite a long period of time that my neighborhood was going to be bombed by enemy aircraft. Did I live in London, England during World War II? --- No, I lived in suburbia USA during the 1970’s. However, I had watched the movie Tora, Tora, Tora, which reenacted the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and it instilled that fear. I also went through a period where I thought I was going to be snatched from my secure home and kidnapped. Why? --- Because I had seen a movie that dramatized the Lindbergh baby kidnapping from the 1930’s.

Today, fear grips this nation as cases of swine flu are being discovered. Much as with the fears of my youth, I believe the fear far outweighs the reality of the risk. Also, like the root of my fear, I believe this fear is coming from people watching television --- in this case media reports about this so-called “panidemic” (whatever that means). The glut of 24/7 media outlets need stories to fill its time and viewers to sell advertising. Though maybe not consciously, I believe they give the people what they want and will keep giving it to them until people have had enough --- The result is over-hype on stories that don’t necessarily warrant it.

At this point let me put this fear into proper perspective. There has been a grand total of ONE death in this country due to the swine flu --- Not one thousand, not one hundred --- just 1! How many people have died on the nation’s highways in the last week? --- Probably thousands (as an example, there have been 3 deaths in the county I live in). But are people gripped with fear about driving to work or driving to errands? --- Of course not. As I peruse the statistics I see that scattered schools have been cancelled in many states including my home state, Wisconsin --- Yet not one case of swine flu has been confirmed as of yet in this state. Also, I see that ALL high school athletic events have been cancelled in Texas and Alabama --- This is hard to fathom as I think back to all the snowy and icy nights that people battled on the highway driving to Wisconsin High School basketball games this past winter.

I’m not trying to lessen the seriousness of the situation, only to put it in perspective. The fact that anyone has died or gotten sick and that there is a real risk of the sickness spreading should cause concern. But that’s where I believe people need to turn to God and turn off their television sets. Bringing our concerns to God in prayer can, does and will bring real results and it also brings a comfort and peace that sometimes goes beyond human understanding.

Action may be necessary as events warrant it, but God Himself demonstrated how reaction to fear itself is one of the worst things to base our actions on. Several times in the Old Testament God won battles on behalf of his outmanned and outgunned people simply by spreading fear and panic in the enemy camp.

Of course the promise of eternal life and the victory over death that Jesus won on the cross really makes the fear of anything a ridiculous proposition. It’s with this security, though, that we can be a light and witness to those gripped with fear simply by moving on with our lives as it comes on a daily basis!