Spirituality and Fear

Spirituality and Fear

Let not your hearts not be troubled, 

Neither let them be afraid.

John 14:27

While I resonated with this heart centered teaching early in my life, and admittedly it seems as if I was “plagued” by fears, however, when I could remember it, it did give me some solace and assurance.

Later, as I explored my way across the horizons of psychology and insights of psychotherapy, I found that the issues surrounding fear and insecurity are not only common, but seemingly epidemic in our American society. Not necessarily in the sense of a brutal fear, but much more in the way of a culturally induced apprehension about finances, status, social acceptance etc.

When I reached seminary and began my studies in the Hebrew Scriptures and their comparison to the Christian Scriptures, the use and the understanding of the word fear was a remarkable discovery for me! 

In the more ancient texts that comprise the Hebrew Scriptures, the word for fear is NOT translated in the way we commonly understand today. In the phrase, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” for one cogent example, we are given the word fear as a reverent word. Fear in this regard, and in many places throughout these older texts, is a word of respect, deference, and awe! 

When texts, traditions, linguistic analysis, etc., are brought into our more modern and complete understanding of content and context, we can see how a tragic lack of comprehension of a word’s meaning can lead to the abuse of a concept by literalists and fundamentalists–  from every religious persuasion. 

They would interpret the Hebrew word as we would the English word, and see fear as a warning! In that context, the fear of the Lord is a concern for the paternal punishment that comes from any whiff of disobedience! Since God could be a hostile and capricious Being, it’s better to live in anxious apprehension than in wonder and awe…

As we get to the Christian Scriptures, the path of Biblical translation does, over the centuries, become a little more clear and benevolent in its use of fear. We understand it, on one hand, as a protective emotion; that fear is mitigated through prudence, a healthy amount of caution, and a knowing about potential dangers or risks. 

The other side of fear is the one spoken of in the above Gospel quote– where the presence of fear can indicate a lack of assurance or confidence, and point to a lack of courage or faith.

When using Biblical teaching as a source of psychological guidance and as a guide for one’s mental and emotional health, it can be met with skepticism, as it is rarely accepted easily or in a wholehearted way.

Until such a depth of assurance is reached in our personal awareness, does it become a confident step toward holiness or wholeness. But the embrace of a fear defying love is clearly a moment of potent grace; There can be an immediate recognition, or it arrives as the result of an extended time of inner turmoil; however it arrives, we can through trust and faith to let go of the fear, and rest in the awareness of an ever-present love.