From Pieces To Peace

A cowboy rode into town and stopped at the saloon for a drink. Unfortunately, the locals had a habit of ‘picking’ on strangers, of which he was one. When the cowboy finished his drink, he found that his horse had been stolen. With surprising forcefulness, he yelled, "Which one of you sidewinders stole my horse?" No one answered. "All right, I'm gonna have another drink, and if my horse ain't back outside by the time I finish, I'm gonna do what I dun’ in Texas! And I don't like to have to do what I dun’ in Texas!"

Some of the locals shifted restlessly. The man, true to his word, had another drink, walked outside, and his horse had been returned to the post. He saddled up to ride out of town. The bartender wandered out of the bar and asked, "Say pardner, before you go, we want to know what happened in Texas?" The cowboy turned back and said, "I had to walk home."

Now, there's an example of how to use intimidation and fear for your benefit. Lots of noise and intimidating words can play on your thinking process, can't they? Fear can move us from intelligent assessment to emotional distress quicker than you can say 'cowboy.'

In 2 Timothy 1, the Apostle Paul begins the letter by exhorting his spiritual son, Timothy, not to be controlled by fear. Timothy was concerned about Paul, who was locked up in jail. Because of Paul’s situation, Timothy was also becoming afraid to share his faith in Christ. Paul wrote this letter to enlighten Timothy about the difference between being afraid or having a concern and being overcome by a 'spirit of fear.' 

Paul gives Timothy and us today some insight and understanding about fear, saying, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but the God-given gift of power, love, and a sound mind.” In other words, the reason God gives us power, love, and a sound mind is so that, empowered by God, we can overcome fear both within and without.  

Now let's look at this verse differently. If we consistently let a spirit of fear control our lives, we will be overcome by a spirit of fear. The result is that we lose our power, our love, and our ability to maintain a sound and stable mind. We will become unstable in our emotions and ability to reason, and we will be easily controlled by outside sources and events, with extreme reactions to whatever triggers our fears. We will spiral downward into a survival mode of life, with little power over others or ourselves, a convoluted sense of who and what we love, and instability in almost every area of life. The slightest thing can set us off. That makes us vulnerable to others who can easily control us by playing off our fears.

So, let’s learn together about fear, because fear is tricky. Someone said that fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. Google says fears in life are diverse, ranging from primitive, survival-based threats to complex psychological and social anxieties. Core fears include the unknown, failure, social rejection, and death. These often manifest as specific phobias (e.g., spiders, heights), situational anxieties (e.g., flying, public speaking), or deep-rooted limiting beliefs (e.g., fear of abandonment or loss of control).

Chapman University conducted a 2018 survey on what people fear. Here's a summary of the top fears of Americans.

“For the fourth year in a row (2015-2018), the top fear of Americans is corrupt government officials. And, as in the previous four years, the fear that our government is corrupt far exceeds that of all the others we asked about. Nearly 3/4 of Americans said they are afraid or very afraid of corrupt governmental officials in 2018. By comparison, the next-highest level of fear was more than 10 points lower at 61.6% (pollution of oceans, rivers, and lakes).

Government corruption aside, our top ten list suggests that Americans are preoccupied with three types of fear. Americans fear for the environment (#s 2, 3, 7, 8, 9), fear of bad things happening to loved ones (#s 5 & 6), and worry about their finances (#s 4 and 10). High levels of fear of loved ones becoming ill (#5) and high medical bills (#10) also indicate that health care remains a primary concern of Americans.”

In most cases, the top ten issues are valid. In many cases, some people overreact to these fears, driven by a spirit of fear. Yes, there are concerns, but people can only address or resolve them if they have not traded their God-given power for a spirit of fear. And love for all people must be the motive, not the hate that we see today, even for others with different views. And, lastly, we need stable minds in charge, not unstable minds, driven by the winds and waves of culture, politics, fake news, and fear. 

There’s a way to go from pieces to peace. Mastered by God, we can control how we react to circumstances, people, and calamity. Mastered by anything less than God, we are the victims and puppets of circumstances, people, or calamity. 

Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Don't let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." John 14:27