No Fear!

     “Mr. Robinson, don’t you think our country is corrupt?”

     “Mr. Robinson, I’m afraid of ISIS.”

     “Mr. Robinson, I’m afraid that Donald Trump will become president.”

     “Mr. Robinson, I don’t know what I’ll do if Hillary Clinton becomes president.”

     “Mr. Robinson, I’m afraid of ______________________.”

     I hear these and other such statements almost every day in my classroom, and it grieves my soul. Our current political campaign; perhaps our culture, breeds such needless anxiety. I have watched over the past decade or so as politicians and talking heads exploit fear. This despicable practice seeks to separate and divide, doing precious little to address the real, substantive problems we face. Both parties use this tactic, wielding fear as a cudgel to keep the faithful in line. This insidious practice worms its way into our Churches. Pause in almost any foyer and you will hear hand-wringing speech; often encouraged by the very shepherds who stand in pulpits.

     I hate to disappoint; but, this practice is wrong-headed. In our country we live in a time of unparalleled opportunity and abundance. Look at almost any metric you care to examine and you will find cause for rejoicing. In most places crime is down. Our economy improves monthly, admittedly at a slower rate than we would like, but growth nonetheless. We keep our enemies at bay. More Americans enjoy access to education and healthcare than before. Advances in various technologies provide a quality of life unseen in previous millennia. As whole, our nation enjoys great material blessing, yet we stoke the fires of dread.

     I have lived and worked in countries that face serious existential problems. I have had to work with truly corrupt governmental officials; men who I knew had killed to attain their position of power. I have seen places where fathers laid their children down to rest not knowing if their children would rise to see the next sunrise. In these same places wives send their men off to work praying for their safe return in the eve. In other locations people eke out an existence, toiling day by day in mind-numbing conditions with no hope of improvement. Millions on our globe rise up and exist only to sink back to dust after years of painful labor.

     In these places I understand a sense of despair, but not on our shores. I do not believe our best days lie in the past, they reside in our future. Our nation is not perfect. There are a variety of dark corners in our land that need the light of liberty and freedom. But rather than bewail them, we ought to roll up our sleeves and bend our arms to the task at hand. I believe we can leave our posterity a nation with ample resources and opportunities for education and creation.

     While I might understand those in the world slipping into this morass of gloom and doom, I find the Christian embrace of such thought-patterns mystifying. Of all people we ought to be the most positive, joyful, and hopeful. We need to remember that, “God has not given us a spirit of fear…” II Timothy 1:7. Of course we face challenges as a nation and a culture. We will always find problems to solve; but, they need not overwhelm us. We know the end. We can face troubles knowing that our fate is secure. God’s arm is not shortened; His grasp is not so feeble as to let His cherished ones slip through His fingers. When some politician calls, pandering to fear and peddling divisive distrust of the other, we should ignore the siren call. We want men and women who provide inclusive solutions. After all, God has blessed us immeasurably. Rather than spend our time complaining looking furtively over our shoulders, a spirit of thankfulness and joy should animate us. This thankfulness for God’s gracious provision should propel us into new arenas of endeavor and service. We have His promise to meet all our needs, perhaps we ought to spend ourselves joyfully working to better the portion of the globe we inhabit.