What Do You Fear?

Psalm 33:18-22

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
    on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death
    and keep them alive in famine.
We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you.

Our Golden, Rosie, shakes when she hears loud noise.

Monday morning, we awoke to a crew of roofers ripping off the shingles on the building next door. When I tried to take Rosie out to do her business, she trotted to the edge of the grass, squatted, then ran back inside. She refused to take her walk. Thankfully, Tim drove her to a safe place, and she was happy.

Like Rosie, I fear certain things—failure in my writing, making a mistake and hurting another person, letting someone down, and worst of all—spiders. Yes, those creepy, crawly creatures freak me out. But seriously, fear is real. We all fear something.

In the Psalm we are called to fear the Lord. Not the fear that causes me to hide, or curl up in a ball, or throw my shoe at an eight-legged creature, but a fear of reverence. Healthy fear of God involves, adoration, devotion, respect, wonder, and worship. As a young Christian, the thought of being afraid of God confused me. Why fear someone who loves you? After becoming a parent I understood much better. Although I don’t think my girls ever truly feared me, they had a healthy respect for me and understood the parameters I set.

God watches over his children, and He loves like no other. Even as I hold a healthy fear for my creator, I also trust Him completely and hope in Him wholly.

Fear the Lord with joy!

The Joy of Discovery

Proverbs 2:1-6

My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding—
indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

I love learning.

I wasn't fond of school, but I enjoyed the process of discovering new and interesting things. Even as a child, I challenged myself to study the Little Golden Guides to identify butterflies and flowers. Recently, I found a couple of these timely little books in one of the local park shops. I bought them for nostalgic reasons, plus I still enjoy identifying God's creatures. The fields and woods that surrounded my childhood home offered a fascinating classroom for my curious mind. I'd trudge through the field looking for insects, especially butterflies. Along with my love of nature, I enjoyed arts and crafts. I embroidered and sewed from a young age then as an adult I've added quilting and needle felting to my repertoire.

As I've aged, my curiosity has grown. Not just with my hobbies, but with my desire to dig up nuggets of wisdom in the Bible. As I open God's word, I long to understand the teachings. The scripture says I should seek out understanding and insight as if I'm searching for a buried treasure. Once I find even a grain of the knowledge God offers, I need to tuck those words into my heart.

Through his words of wisdom, I have come to understand what it means to fear the Lord. I've asked myself at times why I should fear the one who loves me. My answer: I fear the Lord with a respectful fear, he is all knowing and all powerful. He's my Father, and I trust him.

Seek God's wisdom and he will give you knowledge and understanding.