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Fear //
noun: an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.
When I was little, I had two bedtime fears; every night, I got into bed worrying that there would be a fire in our home, or that a burglar would climb in through my bedroom window and steal our belongings.
And so, every night for three years I would lie in bed and pray, asking God to make sure there were no fires and no burglaries.
And there were none.
Looking back, I'll never be sure if this was the result of my fervent, persistent petition to God or if my parents were just very good at ensuring our safety. Perhaps it was a combination of both. However, I do know that my fears these days are a lot more targeted and specific. And sadly, they aren't always easily combatted with one simple prayer (although I'll vouch that it's still an excellent first move).
Fear often feels a little like a game of chess. Your rational brain makes one move, and your irrational one makes one back; trying to knock out all possible reasons that get in the way of overwhelming terror. But as adults, we're not supposed to say we're scared of anything.
In fact, we barely talk about fear at all.
In fact, we barely talk about fear at all.
Recently, I did some reading on the power of fear and the power of hope. It turns out we've been designed with a fear instinct which is intuitive. When faced with real life danger, we don't have to think about what to do; our fight or flight response kicks in.
We are created to fear; and we also have a natural reaction to fear.
We are created to fear; and we also have a natural reaction to fear.
Interestingly though, we haven't got an equivalent reaction for hope. This means we're naturally predisposed to fear. Hope, on the other hand, is an altogether more complex feeling. It requires active processing. Repeated thought. Hope requires human effort.
So in a world where fear feels familiar - and human - how do we begin to cultivate hope?
In the same article, I read about the 'people power' behind our feelings. And it turns out that groups of people are more inclined to feel the same way. Or, to put it another way - we are more likely to fear about something if others fear it too. We are more likely to hope in something if the people around us do the same.
It seems like the best way to grow hope is to grow hope together.
Being part of a church community is where my sense of hope is regularly built up. A community, together, looking beyond us - to the ultimate hope of Jesus.
But there's a challenge in any kind of group - especially in church community - to ensure we don't ignore the conflicting feeling. As well as the significance of hope, we need to address the human reality of fear.
And, especially in our world where we're told to be brave and successful (not scared and worried), we need to foster and build cultures of openness. Because I think when we start being honest about fear, we can better cultivate hope.
We are very good at talking about general fears. I call them "news story fears" - politics, money, the future. But those individual fears - the ones we mull over in our heads; that creep into our brains in the night - are often neglected in everyday conversation for fear (pun intended) that we'll be seen as weak, or negative, or silly.
And in the secret place of our minds, this fear grips us when we're alone; when we're tired; when it feels as if the rest of the world is sleeping.
But imagine what would happen if we harnessed the power of collective hope to tackle our individual fears? What if we intentionally addressed our heart fears together?
I'm pretty sure there would be so much more potential to hope. And maybe that hope would seep into our heads and hearts. And maybe that hope would reform us; and teach us a new way of thinking.
The great thing about hope is that once formed, it is powerful. It is powerful enough to overcome fear.
And I love that the Bible teaches exactly this. The transformation of hope. And in the book of Romans, we learn that the hope of Jesus literally brings brain transformation:
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:12
So in a world where fear feels familiar - and human - how do we begin to cultivate hope?
In the same article, I read about the 'people power' behind our feelings. And it turns out that groups of people are more inclined to feel the same way. Or, to put it another way - we are more likely to fear about something if others fear it too. We are more likely to hope in something if the people around us do the same.
It seems like the best way to grow hope is to grow hope together.
Being part of a church community is where my sense of hope is regularly built up. A community, together, looking beyond us - to the ultimate hope of Jesus.
But there's a challenge in any kind of group - especially in church community - to ensure we don't ignore the conflicting feeling. As well as the significance of hope, we need to address the human reality of fear.
And, especially in our world where we're told to be brave and successful (not scared and worried), we need to foster and build cultures of openness. Because I think when we start being honest about fear, we can better cultivate hope.
We are very good at talking about general fears. I call them "news story fears" - politics, money, the future. But those individual fears - the ones we mull over in our heads; that creep into our brains in the night - are often neglected in everyday conversation for fear (pun intended) that we'll be seen as weak, or negative, or silly.
And in the secret place of our minds, this fear grips us when we're alone; when we're tired; when it feels as if the rest of the world is sleeping.
But imagine what would happen if we harnessed the power of collective hope to tackle our individual fears? What if we intentionally addressed our heart fears together?
I'm pretty sure there would be so much more potential to hope. And maybe that hope would seep into our heads and hearts. And maybe that hope would reform us; and teach us a new way of thinking.
The great thing about hope is that once formed, it is powerful. It is powerful enough to overcome fear.
And I love that the Bible teaches exactly this. The transformation of hope. And in the book of Romans, we learn that the hope of Jesus literally brings brain transformation:
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:12
In a world that can feel hope-less and fear-full, I'm excited by the potential and the power of community hope; and reminded as a Christian, of the hope that Jesus brings.
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