“Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28
We are to have one fear, fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 defines it like this: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” (CSB). We’ve talked about this before, but fear in this sense means reverential awe. In other words, deep respect for God is the beginning of knowledge. When we have a healthy fear of the Lord, we understand that God is all powerful, all knowing, eternal, there is nothing He can or can’t do. He is our Creator, our Sustainer and our Savior. God is our all in all, we should understand and respect that. That is the type of fear Solomon means we should have for God. We understand the deep need we have for God and are obedient to what His will is for our lives. That is the one type of fear we should have, fear of the Lord.
We are not to fear people, people can be easily feared, especially those whose lives are different from ours. My husband and I visited Nashville recently. I had never been before and didn’t know what to expect. We headed immediately to Broadway where all the music is, a five block area lined with bars, several stories high. Live music can be heard coming from all levels of the buildings. Music city is a bustling place, full of all kinds of people. What I noticed the most was all of the homeless people sitting on the streets. As soon as we got out of the Uber, I saw a young girl strumming her guitar, filthy, unkempt, her back propped up against the building. I was shocked, I hadn’t anticipated this and my immediate reaction was fearful. I wanted to get back in the Uber and head back. But I had prayed, God take us where you want us to go, have us meet who you want us to meet. The Lord wanted me to meet that girl. She was the first one we saw, and the last one I gave money too as we left Broadway that evening. God used our Scatter cards to get me out of my comfort zone.
During our month of Scattering Kindness, I challenged myself to give at least one card a day away. That simple challenge pushed me in ways I didn’t expect. How could I ask all of you to scatter kindness if I wasn’t doing it myself? As we walked down the street that day, that was the prevailing thought. I have to lead the way, walking the walk is more important than talking the talk. The first band we listened too was my first opportunity. I was so afraid to walk up to the stage and tip them with a Scatter card attached, I begged my husband to do it for me. He refused and forced me to do it. I’m so glad he did. By the time we left Broadway that day, I had given away all of my Scatter cards and all of my money. I had been obedient to God and I came one step closer to overcoming my fear of people. As I handed that young girl the last money I had, I felt God’s peace. I’d much rather fear Him than people. In Him, I can’t go wrong and neither can you.
