Fear and Willful Ignorance
Posted by delta on August 8th, 2022
Ever hear someone say “I fear no man” – sure they do. If someone is holding a gun to their mother, wife or kid…? Stupid thing to say…
When you tell a smoker that smoking will kill them someday and they say “I’m not gonna live in fear” – they are living in fear: fear of their life without cigarettes and all that entails for them…
When you tell an alcoholic (or drug addict) they are killing themselves, or may kill someone else, and they respond “I’m not gonna live in fear” – they are living in fear: fear of withdrawals, fear of the urge not being fulfilled, etc…. What they are saying is “I don’t care, I have a hunger and I’m gonna fill it”…
Totally off topic, but when I was in college I totally got a kick out of the tree huggers who smoked non-filtered cigarettes and drove beater-gas-guzzling cars – it was the funniest thing in the world to me…
There are certain things in life that are oxymoronic. Usually, when someone responds to something with “I’m not gonna live in fear”, they essentially mean they want to live in willful-blissful ignorance because they live in fear of losing what they have and/or hunger for.
When you tell someone they should consider moving because where they live may not be safe in the here and now and definitely isn’t a conducive environment for their children’s future and they say “I’m not going to live in fear” – they are living in fear. They are living in fear of leaving their comfort zone – personal history, friends, family, church, etc. They are living in fear of losing their income. They are living in fear of losing their home. They are living in fear of finding an income, home and comfort zone “over there”.
It’s the very definition of “Willful Ignorance”
When someone says “I’m not going to live in fear” they are simply saying “I’m not going to give up my things. I’m not going to give up my income. I’m not going to give up my comfort zone. I’m not going to give up my history. I fear my life without them.” It’s completely about pride and control.
WWJD…? Better yet – what would He have YOU do if you asked Him…? Pray On It.
The only person who lives without fear is the person who does not fear death – the person who is willing to give it all up right here, right now – the person who literally believes there’s a place better than this one and looks forward to being there as quickly as possible…
| As I wrote the post above, I kept thinking of this not-so-funny old “joke”:
In the midst of a heavy hurricane season, a small town in Florida is alerted as likely to be hit very hard by one particular storm. An emergency notice it sent out to evacuate the town in anticipation of major flooding. One man in the town, Steve, refuses to leave his house, claiming, “I have no fear. God will protect me.” Well sure enough, it starts raining heavily right on schedule. Early in the storm, the local fire department sends out their trucks to find anyone who hasn’t evacuated. With a river of water running several inches high in the streets, a fire truck stops at Steve’s house and asks him to come with them to safety. Steve proudly informs them, “I have no fear. God will protect me.” The next day, Steve is now confined to the top floor of his house due to several feet of water flooding his house. Looking out his window, he meets the glance of a young fellow floating by in a rowboat. The fellow rows over to Steve’s house and says, “Gee mister, I’m sure glad I came through to check for anyone left behind! Hop in and we’ll get you to safety!” Steve confidently responds, “I have no fear. God will protect me.” The next day, Steve’s house is mostly under water, and he’s left stranded on his roof. Along comes a chopper scanning for anyone in need. They find him and throw down a ladder, insisting that he comes aboard, to which Steve replies, “I have no fear. God will protect me.” Well, not long later, our boy Steve finds himself facing Saint Peter at the pearly gates of heaven. Peter is surprised to see him, saying, “Steve? Is that you?! You weren’t scheduled to arrive for another 35 years!” Steve replies, “Yeah, let’s talk about that. I’ve devoted my whole life to God! How could he let me just die in a flood? I’m only forty years old!” Peter, equally confused, opens a book and starts flipping through it. After a minute, he turns to Steve and says, “I’m so sorry this happened, there must have been a clerical error. It says here we were supposed to send a firetruck, a rowboat, and a chopper to save you! I don’t know what went wrong!!” God will protect you – in His way, in His time. I think our problem is that we presume to know what that means… We assume He wants for us what we want for us – in the time we wish for – in the way we wish for… We attempt to lead Him in the direction we want our lives to go instead of following what He leads us toward because it’s not what we want to do or not “the right time” in our little brains… To deny oneself… I see a lot of people who try to control God’s input in their lives through “being too busy” so they can redirect the guilt they feel for not following Him… Or, they simply say, they “haven’t heard Him in a while” as a redirect because He has not told them what they wanted to hear… To deny oneself… “God wouldn’t do that to me” – who said…? Ever hear of Job…? No where in the Bible does it say this life is going to be easy – in fact, it says the opposite… There is nothing easy about denying yourself, picking up a cross and following Him… |