Fear Not...

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Luke 2:10: And the angel said to them [the shepherds], "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people."



​What is fear?
That is a great question. Fear is something that we experience. It is somewhat hard to define. I have used many times the phrase, "Quaking in your boots" to describe what fear is. 

Fear has to do with loss. We're afraid because we lost our favorite pen. That may sound silly, yet it is true. There is a level of anxiety when we had it one moment and not the next. 

If that's "silly," what about the fear we experience when we can't find our phone. I know someone who was very afraid she lost her phone. Why? Because she lost all the pictures on it. Her experiences were on that phone. She was afraid that she lost a part of her life.

Fear comes in many forms. That is why the words from the angel are so wonderful.

Stop Being Afraid:
What is the angel saying to the shepherds? "Stop being afraid at the sight of my presence and all you think what might happen. Settle your fear and focus so that you will hear what I have to tell you."

The angel is trying to help the shepherds focus upon what was going to happen next. He had to get them past their fear. And when they were past their fear, the shepherds heard the message of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. 

The angel's message is the same for us. "Stop being afraid of losing something in life. Stop being afraid of what you don't have. Stop being afraid so that I can help you focus on what you have in your life. Stop worrying about what you don't have. I want to tell you what you DO have."

The Message of Jesus:
And what we do have is Jesus and His life for us. We have Jesus and His life for us. We have Jesus' calming heart and grace with the faith and knowledge that He has taken away our sins, our fears, our worries, and replaced them with comfort, peace, joy, and grace. 

And when we have Jesus, we have clarity and focus that will set aside fear and move past it. When we have Jesus, we can see the life that we have and set our minds and hearts to move forward past the loss. 

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