My mom gave me this book by Gavin De Becker to read. At first, I didn't want to read it because of the title. I don't think that fear is from the Lord. The only good fear from what I knew before was the fear we have of the Lord. However, Becker redefined my definition of fear.
Fear is a natural instinct that we get when we know something isn't right...our intuition. Every animal on earth has the instinct of fear. We are the only creatures on earth, however, that reason away fear. If we have an uneasy feeling about a stranger approaching us on the steps of our apartment, we say to ourselves, "That's silly. This man seems nice. I would be rude to just brush him off." It's better to be rude and act on your instinct than to be assaulted.
What is not good is anxiety or worry. That's what we usually call fear. Becker says that anxiety and worry can actually interfere with your natural ability to sense actual danger. The book teaches you to be less "fearful" in the way that we see fear, and more in tune with your intuition.
Plus, it was very interesting. All of the case studies he talked about were intriguing. Of course, I was a psych major and my favorite show is "Law and Order."
Monday, March 17, 2008
"The Gift of Fear"
Posted by AUNY at 9:47 AM
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We were just "debating" this in a Bible study we had recently with our team. Some said it is wrong to be afraid because that means you're not trusting the Lord. Others said it is natural as long as your fear doesn't control you. An example we used is, was Jesus afraid when he was praying in the garden before he was crucified? I don't think he could have been human if he weren't afraid. But he went anyway, so his fear didn't control him. Interesting.
Mom wants you to read this book as well. I guess that I'll be mailing it to you. It's very interesting. Actually, the cases will make you glad that you are in another country. It's an illusion that our country is safe. The only thing that I didn't quite know is where the Holy Spirit fits in (like when He warns you of danger and it cannot come from anyone but Him). That wasn't explained in this book of course...it wasn't a "Christian" book. The guy did say that praying is much better than worrying. If you feel like you need to do something...pray.
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