July 30, 2010
“The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord is kept safe” (Proverbs 29:25). “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and his children will have refuge” (14:26).
A study came out not long ago showing that fear is a hard-wired, autonomic default system of the normal human brain and cannot be overridden or trained away. Fight or flight syndrome is as instinctive and reflexive as breathing, and essential for survival. With fear comes the physical and emotional wherewithal, from adrenalin to altruism, to alert us of danger and spur us to action, so it serves a valuable purpose. But we must learn to control the paralyzing and perplexing affects of fear so that we’re able to function effectively in the face of it; even with it. “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear” (Ambrose Redmoon).
How is such judgment developed? Fear is constitutional. Courage is character, “…the first of human qualities…the quality which guarantees all others” (Winston Churchill). We can see courage and be convinced of its merits, but until its resolve is grafted into the heart of our spirit, true courage is not a natural trait. It is the doing, not the stewing, that moves us from jelly to the judgment that there is good cause for sacrifice and the confidence that such cause is worth living and dying for. Courage begins in the day to day commitment to keep going in spite of loss and failure, frustration and disappointment, until it builds up our resolve and displaces our egotism so that something more important than selfish fear takes precedence and builds power. We are never so weak and fearful than when we live for ourselves. Nothing quickens our fortitude to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty or pain more than striving for something or someone greater than ourselves, so much so that, courage becomes, as C.S. Lewis said, “not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” Courage must redefine us constitutionally, and works toward rebuilding our character.
God made us to reflect His image, one which embodies every aspect of faithfulness. Life is not about comparison, but compassion; not getting but giving; not personal happiness, but inner joy. There is One Who is All Knowing, All Powerful and All Present. Fearing Him, and not our circumstances, reconstitutes our character and chisels courage. “The reverence of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death” (v.27).
Summer always has a special atmosphere about it, whether we’re working or not. Energy levels seem to be higher, and optimism more talked about. Vacations give time for reflection as we try and get a breather. The ministry presses on here with more to do than time allows, but God gives grace to do just enough, and takes care of the rest. My counseling this month increased, and I’m grateful the Lord apparently used it for good, both with individuals and couples. I did one wedding, and am helping two others prepare, spiritually. There’s always a challenge when the couple are not, from the context of their living arrangement, believers. But certainly explaining what Christian marriage is also presents the gospel, as the one illustrates the other. This opens great doors for sharing the Truth of what our ultimate relationship with the Lord is all about, and why He came to save us. I have much more latitude in explaining the gospel when they request to go on with me, and interesting dynamics begin to form. A God Who longs to be gracious, Who died to reconcile us to Himself, Who infuses His Spirit to make us truly one with a forever, covenantal love, gives us a love “not of this world.” It is a joy to see the lights start to come on when couples begin to realize the great purpose of marriage, other than mere companionship and partnership. There is a cosmic and eternal fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan at work, and what comes out of it creates people and circumstances that the world, the gates of hell, cannot either fabricate or extinguish. It all started at the beginning with the first couple, and God lays down the foundation from there. Which is why this marriage retreat is so important coming up in September. The battle is to get the couples there. Once we have their attention, remarkable things happen under His Power. Thank you for continuing to pray that God will quicken hearts to sign up for the weekend, that He’ll bring in the funds to pay for it above what the couples can afford, that He would anoint and enable Pastor Tim Savage as he prepares for his talks, and that Debbie and I will engage our part as we promote, provoke, pray and organize the details.
As a family we’re doing well. We were able to join Nathan at Campus By The Sea in Catalina for a week there, providentially to help him through a severe week of illness, as we doctored him and his animals. By the time we left, all was well again, and we were refreshed also. He and Anna leave again Friday for NH for two final weeks of family camp staff there. Caleb has two weeks left of Summer courses, and then begins his last year of college, with an internship at the Sheriff’s Media Relations Unit. Debbie and Christa are renovating, and I’m fixing and mixing between house and ministry. Love you much.
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