Dealing With FearSample

This We Know

When we think about suffering with those who are hurting, it’s human to fear. What if I get hurt? What if I get sick? What if something happens to me? What we know should help to keep our fear under control. We know that all things work together for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes. We know this. We know that when we suffer, we identify with Him. And we know that He is with us always. This we know.

In my book Dream with Me, I talked about the fear so many parents felt when our children decided they were going to integrate the movie theater in Mendenhall. It was 1964, and our four oldest children were a part of the group. The children all knew that they would likely be taken to jail and beaten up, so they tried their best to keep it a secret from their parents. The parents were not only afraid for their children, they all risked losing their jobs, their homes, and their insurance if their children went to jail for trying to integrate a whites-only facility. In spite of the great risk, I was so proud that our children were willing to give their lives to the cause. As it turned out, the theater owners must have gotten word of the protest because they closed the theater—permanently.

I was overwhelmed with fear when I drove my car up to the jail in Brandon in 1970. When I saw the twelve patrolmen rushing from the jail toward us, I knew that we had been set up. I never expected them to come out to the car and start beating us without reason. I never expected that. And the fear was immediate and overwhelming. I knew things were going to get bad. But there was nothing I could do to stop what was happening. I had to cry out to the Lord. And He was with me. He kept me in spite of my fears.

I think all of us are afraid at some level about what has been happening in our country recently. The coronavirus pandemic, racial divisions, wildfires and tropical cyclones can all invoke fear in us. This may be the one time that God is speaking to all of us at the same time. He’s speaking to the rich, the poor, the educated, the uneducated, black, white, Hispanic—every one of us. I think He’s calling us out of the world, calling us to stand for Truth, for what is right. Calling us to suffer with those who are hurting and to lay our lives on the line for the cause of justice. We can’t let fear keep us from answering His call.