What is scarier than scary
Have you ever been scared? I mean really scared. Scared like your mom told you to take the chicken out the freezer to defrost and you keep watching tv and forget. Then you hear a car pull up in the driveway and that dreaded chicken flashes in your memory.
That kind of scared.
I am a dad, and I am supposed to be big, bad, and fearless. I am very afraid of all manner of spiders. No one told me beforehand that as a dad I would have to be the one to go into the bedroom and kill that spider that somehow disappeared behind a piece of furniture. Scary stuff.
Read: Cancel Culture and the Lack of Forgiveness
We all have things we are legitimately afraid of. Our families being hurt, a missing child in a public place, snakes, a deep dark hole. Whatever it is everyone has a fear of something. Those are rational fears that people can understand if you are afraid. But I want to talk about those things that are scarier than scary.
Fear that Destroys
Those things we do not think about but can destroy us even worse than the things we fear. If you noticed the things, we are afraid of the most usually don’t happen that often. Plane crashes, one of our kids getting kidnapped, a serial killer hiding in our closet. We do not know too many people any of those things have happened too but when we make a list of scariest things the unreasonable ones usually make the top.
What is scarier than scary?
To me, it is those things that can hurt us and damage us to an exhaustive extent, and usually, they are things that are fun and bring us joy. When you ask most men what they are afraid of they normally do not say, “Well I am always afraid that the pretty clerk in my office I flirt with every day will one day fall in love with me and eventually destroy my family and cause my divorce.”
While the flirting is happening, it is fun and harmless up until that moment when it is not. Then one year later when the wife files for divorce and the kids are living in different households does that scary moment hit you. That is scarier than scary. For most guys, this scenario is much more likely to happen than a killer clown that lives in the sewer that might kill us.
My daughter once asked me to describe the perfect date. I answered, “Well that’s a tough one, but I would probably say April 25th.” That is because it is not too hot and not too cold. You probably only need a light jacket. She is only 14 years old. No dating till you are 25. Nice try though. This frightens me to no end.
One day some random guy is going to come to pick her up to go to get a latte or froyo or whatever it is that kids do nowadays, and I am not ready for this. This is scary to me. One thing I can count on being a follower of Christ is that I do not have to be afraid of these situations because God sent us a comforter to help us get through those scary times.
John 14:16 says:
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.
God over fear
Who else better to go to when you are scared of what may happen that our Heavenly Father? When we lean on Jesus, he gives us peace that passes all understanding. Sometimes I do not understand why I am being so calm when things are falling apart all around me. That is because the battle is not ours, it is the Lord’s. The victory is already won. He did not give us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and of a sound mind 2 Timothy 1:7.
I have been on this health kick lately. I try to run at least 2 miles a day. I made my own playlist to work out to that would get me motivated to run. It is a mix of zombie noises, scary voices saying, “I’m coming to get you” and my wife saying, “I am going to cut sugar out of our diet”. I have lost 32 pounds, 25 of which are in tears. I have also lost my wallet and my keys.
You can choose to be scared of things that seem scary but you have hardly any chance of encountering or you can face the fears of things that seem mild at first but are scary if you let them get out of control. Just remember we have the creator of the universe that can calm us down and remember that there are things scarier than scary but we do not have to be afraid of any of them.
Prescott Williamson is a Bible-believing Christian. He is a husband, a father, and someone who believes that there is a little humor to be found in whatever situation God sends your way. He was born in the small islands of the Bahamas but now lives in the Suburbs of Fort Worth Texas, which is basically the same thing. He enjoys TV, reading, blogging and serving in his church (especially on the days they serve donuts). You can see what I have been thinking about lately on my blog www.prescottascoolbreeze.com.
I think that’s a pretty good date. How do people do it without God?
I don’t know and I don’t want to find out