Is God Disappointed When We're Afraid?

I love the fact that none of us are the same - that God made us all uniquely different. With this in mind, one of my favorite movie lines of all times is from a film entitled Chariots of Fire. Chariots of Fire debuted in 1981 and was a movie about a runner named Eric Liddle, a devout Christian from Scotland, who believed his athletic abilities were a gift from God. In the movie, Eric Liddle tells his sister,"I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure."  Eric knew that God created him to love running, and that God, the Creator of the Universe, finds great pleasure when His children do what He created them to do. 

Me?  I hate running.  A good brisk walk is about the best I can do.  But that’s not the point.  The point is, we’re all different. God created each and every one of us with unique likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses.  And that’s a good thing…a very good thing.  That’s what makes me, me; and you, you.  That’s what makes the Body of Christ work – all of us contributing our bit, using the gifts and likes that God gave us to further His work.

But despite our uniqueness, diversity, and individuality…there is something that we all have in common. Something that we all experience - FEAR.  Fear is no respecter of persons.  It doesn’t matter if you’re old, young, or somewhere in the middle; whether you’re a Christian, an atheist, an agnostic, or indifferent; rich or poor; introvert or extrovert; whether you’ve struggled with it periodically, occasionally, or you’re even struggling with it at this very moment. Whether we want to admit it or not, fear has been, is, or in the future will, attempt to invade our lives. 

Because none of us are exactly alike, we’re all afraid of different things.  Me?   I’m afraid of being irrelevant; getting more wrinkles; not knowing enough; thinking I know too much; not being nice enough; not loving my family well enough…the list goes on and on.  And then there’s my absolute terror of mice and rats.  I freak out even seeing them on the movie screen. That’s probably one of my biggest fears. I can tolerate Mickey Mouse, but that’s about it.  

We beat ourselves up about fear, especially when we know that God tells us we have no need to fear.  We can be really hard on ourselves, convinced that there is something very wrong with us. “If I trusted God enough, I wouldn’t be struggling with this!  Can’t I just get over it?  How many times do I have to turn this over to God?!” At times, shame and guilt can seem to overwhelm us because we fear.  

I find it amazing that of all the commands and directives given to us in Scripture, “Do not be afraid,” “Do not fear,” and “Fear not,” outnumber them all. There’s a reason for that. God knows that there are times when we will be afraid. That’s why He had to say it over and over again, reminding humanity, “Do not fear.” The problem is that somehow, we’ve convinced ourselves that when we’re afraid, God’s profoundly disappointed in us. Disgusted even. We tell ourselves that we’re not enough for God  – not good enough, smart enough, brave enough – the list can go on and on.  

But the truth is, His understanding of us when we experience fear is nothing short of miraculous, grace-filled, compassionate, and empathetic. He doesn’t judge us when we’re afraid., and He’s certainly not disgusted.  He doesn’t reject us, nor is He frustrated.  In direct contrast, He loves us.

God’s directives to “Fear not” and “Be not afraid,” aren’t barked, yelled, or even demanded, but rather lovingly spoken to us by a kind, generous, empathetic, understanding, compassionate Abba Father, who desires us to not be burdened with the hardship of fear.  A Father who could never love us less, no matter how much we fear. A Father who desires for His children to acknowledge (confess) their fear, then see it as an opportunity to connect with Him as the fear is handed off - even if this has to be done a hundred times a day.  A Father who understands.  A Father who wants to remove any false guilt or shame. A Father who wants us to walk in complete freedom with Him.

God knows.  He sees.  He gets “it” and He gets you! And the good news is that we don’t have to perform, be brave, super courageous, or “walk the line,” in order to gain His approval and love. He loves us no matter what. That’s why the angel Gabriel felt it necessary to tell Mary, “Do not be afraid”; and the angels who approached both Joseph and the shepherds knew that they needed to start off by saying, “Do not be afraid.”  God knew that in their humanity, they would be fearful.  But this didn’t prevent Him from speaking to them, did it?

So the next time you feel fear coming on?  Go to your Daddy, your Abba Father, and unashamedly admit what you are experiencing.  He won’t scold, punish, or even be disappointed in you. He’ll just love you and walk with you, delivering you from any fear that you may have – just like a good, good Father would -  gently whispering, “Fear not. I love you. You can trust me. Give it all to Me.” 

As always, thank you for reading! Merry Christmas!!!!!