Checking Our Fear Level

“Have you ever seriously reflected on how different your life might be now – how many decisions might have been made differently in the past – if your fear level had been lower? Suppose that your present fear level were reduced by 50 percent. What could you imagine yourself doing? Some of us could scarcely wait to start doing all we have secretly wished to do – being all we have wished to be. And that would be our feeling if our fear level were reduced by just 50 percent. What would our reaction be if our fear level were totally eliminated? So often the fear that held us in check and kept us ordinary and mediocre has kept us from statesmanlike servant leadership.”

Gordon Cosby, By Grace Transformed)

You’ve probably seen those reports on the news when those wildfires happen in places like California. They may start out small – an unattended campfire or a cigarette thrown from a car – but they quickly ignite and turn into a raging fire that spreads with unbelievable speed and causes unbelievable damage. Fear, today, is spreading like a raging wildfire and it’s destroying everything in its path. It’s being ignited by news releases and political pundits. It’s being fueled by “gloom and doom” theology. And its embers are being stoked by talk shows, talk radio, and reckless commentators. It’s destroying our hope and sabotaging our optimism. It’s eating away at our faith and breaking down our resolve. It’s paralyzing vision and stifling our imagination. Something has to give – this wildfire of fear has to stop.

We are living in challenging times – probably the most challenging times we have seen in decades. But even if the times have changed, our God hasn’t! In the Gospel of Matthew, Peter and the disciples were in a boat that was being tossed around by a huge storm. He saw Jesus walking on the water and said to Jesus, “If it’s you, tell me to get out of the boat.” So, Jesus told him to step on out. Peter did but as he walked he began to sink into the water. The Scriptures say he began to sink when he took notice of the huge winds and become frightened. In other words, he took his focus off of Jesus and began focusing on the storm. Anytime I take my focus off the Living Christ who promises to sustain me during tough times and put my focus on the storm raging around me, I start to sink. I sink into anxiety. I sink into irritability. I sink into stress. And, sometimes I sink into melancholy and a mild funk.

Friends, don’t let yourself sink too deep into your anxiety, fear, and stress. Our God has promised that there is nothing that can separate us from His love or presence. We don’t want to be naïve about the challenges we face but we also go on living into the promises of God. It is these promises that will sustain us and bring us through. It is these promises that will strengthen us and make us more courageous. It is these promises that will reduce our fear level. I hope and pray that during these challenging times, Deep River Friends will be the kind of place that will serve to strengthen your faith, deepen your resolve, and encourage optimism and hope in your life.

In Hope and Faith,
Scott

Living Our Faith and Social Justice - Human Trafficking & Racism

This past Sunday we took time in our meeting for worship to acknowledge the fact that it was Human Trafficking Awareness Sunday. This is not a topic that often gets much attention but it is an issue that certainly deserves our attention. Human trafficking deals with issues of the trafficking of humans across state lines and the borders of various countries for the purpose of using them against their will for such things as prostitution, pornography, forced labor and even forced military service. This is often the case in areas of Africa where there is constant violence. This then becomes an issue of human slavery as people are forced into service either in sweat shops or other activities such as the sex trade. However one defines it or describes it, it is the holding of someone against their will in order that they may perform certain acts or services which are demeaning and damaging to their life and soul. And this is a very real 21st century problem. Even in our own community of High Point, I have heard stories of a parent, or parents, selling their child for sex just so the parents could have money to buy drugs. We might not like to hear these stories but they are real. As Quakers, we have a heritage of working to oppose slavery. It's in our DNA. Prior to the Civil War, Quakers were at the forefront of the anti-slavery movement. The slavery may look a little different now in the 21st century but it is slavery nonetheless.

It does feel overwhelming and it's not easy to know where to start. What can you do? The best place to start is by becoming aware. David Batstone's book entitled, Not For Sale is a good and comprehensive overview of the global slave trade issue. Also, you can visit such websites as www.notforsalecampaign.org, www.stopthetraffik.org, www.ijm.org (International Justice Mission), www.slaverystillexists.com, and www.antislavery.org. Any of these websites will provide much needed information, statistics, and background on the global slave trade and human trafficking crisis.

Another issue that we have committed to creating awareness this month is that of racism. Jim Wallis of the Sojourners community writes about racism in this way: "In Biblical terms, racism is a demon and an idol, a fallen principality and power that enslaves people and nations in its deadly grip. To be even more specific, it is the idolatry of whiteness, the assumption of white privilege and supremacy, that has yet to be spiritually confronted in American and, especially, in the churches. White racism is America's original sin; continuing failure to repent meaningfully of that sin still confounds our efforts to overcome it."

Like any other sin, we often don't recognize it within ourselves and may even rationalize it or deny it. But, the truth of the matter is that everyone carries some form of this sin in them even if it functions as a "low grade prejudice". The sin of racism is often fueld by fear and maybe even our upbringing. It often times is the result of ignorance and lack of understanding. Left to itself, it grows into hatred and contempt for those that are different then us, that are a different color then us, and are from a different part of the world. Rather then me pointing the finger at others, I would do well to examine my own life, attitudes, and disposition and see if I carry any fear, contempt, or hatred towards groups that are different then me.

On Monday, January 19, we celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Here is an excerpt from a sermon he gave two months before he was assassinated:

"If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don't want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. Every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize, that isn't important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards, that's not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. I'd like somebody to mentions that day, that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. I'd like to for somebody to say that day, that Martin Luther King Jr., tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day, that I tried to be right on the war question. I want you to be ablet to say that day, that I did try to feed the hungry. And I want you to be able to say that day, that I did try, in my life, to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say, on that day, that I did try, in my life, to visit those who were in prison. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity."

There will always be issues of social justice that we need to be aware of. If the best we can do is to try to love and serve humanity - those oppressed, those enslaved, those that have been demeaned and discrimated against - then we have done alot.