Watching the news yesterday I was bombarded with stories about the presidential election, high food and gas prices, war, terrorism, child predators and murders. Everything except disease and pestilence. In this 24/7 world I’m sure somebody, somewhere was reporting on that too.
Interesting and urgent as all those topics may be, none of them are really The Big Story.
FEAR.
That’s the real headline.
Be afraid because if the wrong person is elected president our country will fall apart.
Be afraid because if gas and food prices continue to rise you won’t be able to afford to drive anywhere, heat your home this winter, or feed your family.
Be afraid because wars are raging, people are dying, the world is unstable.
Be afraid because certain fanatic groups want to blow us up and take over our country.
Be afraid because someone out there wants to hurt your children and kill you.
I know there’s bad stuff going on out there. I know people are having a hard time. But spreading this message of fear only begets more fear.
What ever happened to Good Ol’ American Optimism and Ingenuity?
It was one of our most beloved presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt that said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!”
He was right you know.
If we hide under the covers watching the news, gripped with fear, we’ll never get up and fight off the monsters that are coming for us.
Did George Washington and the Continental Congress sit around talking about how afraid they were of King George?
Did Abraham Lincoln just let half the country secede because he was afraid it might start a war?
Did Martin Luther King, Jr. stay silent because he was afraid he might be unpopular?
Two of those three men, Lincoln and King, ultimately lost their lives because they faced their fears. Washington reluctantly became our first president, though he rather would have been relaxing on his country estate.
Every advance our country ever made in democracy, human rights and quality of life happened because courageous people ignored their fears, even when it was against their better judgment. They saw a world that could be better, a country that could be a Shinning City on a Hill.
It is my faith that alleviates my fears, and gives me courage to go on. Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Even in these difficult times I know that God will protect and provide. I also know that bad things may still happen, but instead of worrying about them, I forge ahead. There’s always something better waiting out there. God has a plan to fulfill.
Washington, Lincoln and King all believed in God. Perhaps it was this that allowed them to face their fears, and believe there was a brighter future coming. Their sacrifices were not in vain, though Lincoln and King unfortunately didn’t live to see all the results of their courage.
I hope my three-year old son will grow up to love his country. I hope that he will find strength from God to face his fears. I hope that his generation will, as so many Americans before, forge ahead in the face of adversity because there is always the possibility of something better ahead.
Let’s stop being held captive by fear, and start once again pursuing Life, Liberty and Happiness.
Mommie Daze 