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“There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2012-02-06) from his book, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear (p. 87-88). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Oh, these fears that we have really do trap us, don't they?  But they don't have to.

Max says, “I have a friend who was dreading a letter from the IRS. According to their early calculation, he owed them money, money he did not have. He was told to expect a letter detailing the amount. When the letter arrived, his courage failed him. He couldn’t bear to open it, so the envelope sat on his desk for five days while he writhed in dread. How much could it be? Where would he get the funds? For how long would he be sent to prison? Finally, he summoned the gumption to open the envelope. He found, not a bill to be paid, but a check to be cashed. The IRS, as it turned out, owed him money! He had wasted five days on needless fear. There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them.”

Max goes on, “As followers of God, you and I have a huge asset. We know everything is going to turn out all right. Christ hasn’t budged from his throne, and Romans 8: 28 hasn’t evaporated from the Bible. Our problems have always been his possibilities. The kidnapping of Joseph resulted in the preservation of his family. The persecution of Daniel led to a cabinet position. Christ entered the world by a surprise pregnancy and redeemed it through his unjust murder. Dare we believe what the Bible teaches? That no disaster is ultimately fatal?

“Chrysostom did. He was the archbishop of Constantinople from AD 398 to 404. He gained a following by his eloquent criticisms of the wealthy and powerful. Twice banished by the authorities, he once asked: ‘What can I fear? Will it be death? But you know that Christ is my life, and that I shall gain by death. Will it be exile? But the earth and all its fullness is the Lord’s. Will it be the loss of wealth? But we have brought nothing into the world, and can carry nothing out. Thus, all the terrors of the world are contemptible in my eyes; and I smile at all its good things. Poverty I do not fear; riches I do not sigh for. Death I do not shrink from.’”

Max then says, “The apostle Paul would have applauded that paragraph. He penned his final words in the bowels of a Roman prison, chained to a guard— within earshot of his executioner’s footsteps. Worst-case scenario? Not from Paul’s perspective. ‘God’s looking after me, keeping me safe in the kingdom of heaven. All praise to him, praise forever!’ (2 Tim. 4: 18 MSG). Paul chose to trust his Father.”


So, is he your Father and is He the One you really trust?
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