The Fear Behind All The Other Fears
What we are really afraid of
There aren’t many taboos left in the ever-changing Western world.
Mentioning the once forbidden topics of sex, money, or politics in casual conversation is pretty commonplace nowawadays. Our society likes to think of itself as moving forwards to some form of safe, sparklingly clean utopia. But there is at least one subject that people still try really hard to avoid talking about.
Death.
Fear of death still holds a pervasive grip over Western society. It still enslaves lives despite the apparent ever-growing freedom that we are all supposed to have.
It is the fear that is lurking somewhere behind all the other fears we have. Afraid of losing your job? Why? Well, because, if you lose your job you won’t have any money, then you won’t have a home, then you will be on the streets and you will be hungry and you might die.
Afraid of doctors or dentists? They might tell you that awful news about your health you never want to hear.
Afraid of being really honest in a relationship? She might reject you, then you will be alone…
Recently, I have discovered that increasing amounts of people are even starting to become ashamed and reticient to tell their friends and familes that they might have a serious illness. It’s just not something that we talk about anymore. The script has changed and we are all supposed to live healthy, amazing, self-created lives with all the possessions we own. Cancer doesn’t fit in well with any of that. So we keep it to ourselves.
Somehow the picture doesn’t seem right here. Let me offer an alternative.
One of the best known psalms in the Bible is Psalm 23. Most people have heard it at least once. Celebrites like to quote it. It has been memorized by millions, read to countless soldiers before going into battle, and were the last words many people uttered before dying.
In the fourth verse, King David writes that “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
We fear death and in some ways we should, because death is our enemy. We don’t want to die. But it will never go away if we just try to avoid it. We must first name and confront it.
And then David offers us a solution. If we trust in Jesus, if we put our hope in the great shepherd who genuinely cares for us, then we can be assured of his comfort for our fear.
That sounds a lot better than trying to avoid or be enslaved by it.
