Imprisoning Ourselves with Fear
Unlock the door of fear and let God In
What does it mean to fear God?
God is comforting, good, healer, loving, and merciful.
Then why fear God?
God is the Almighty, in control, everywhere, all-knowing, and all-powerful.
We have different types of fear towards God, the holder of our everlasting life. We can imprison ourselves when we hold on to our sin and unforgiveness out of anger, bitterness, or fear. Fear from shame can hold us captive in a place that locks the door from letting God’s goodness in. To have a fear of God means we have respect, stand in awe of his existence, and recognize his power of judgment.
Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV
“12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before his eyes to whom we must give account.”
A young boy began to sob in my catechism class. I was preparing a class of children ages 7-8 for their First Penance sacrament. We were getting ready to walk over to the church from the school to do a practice run with the priests. I asked what was wrong. Snot began to reach his upper lip, and out came a muffled sob with a plea, for he did not want to do it. His fear became overwhelmingly obvious. Attempting to comfort him by focusing on a compliment on how well he had memorized what was supposed to be said, I soon realized that was not what he needed to hear. I looked at the other children and asked if anyone else felt fearful about heading over for practice. As I scanned the room, I noticed another little girl with tears coming down her face. More than half the class raised their hands. I walked over, closed the door, and decided to change the focus from fear to the gift of forgiveness. Their remorseful young hearts were in better places than most adults who observe the sacrament of Penance out of a mere action of obligation.
I explained to the children that as we should fear God when we sin, it was more important to know that God loves us despite our sins and wants us to come to him in truth. I shared that because God sees everything and already knows what we have done, he is just waiting for us to admit that what we did was wrong. I asked them if they had ever talked back to their parents or said something that was not nice. They all raised their hands. I told them that when they go over for practice, that is what I want them to confess for today. “Save the rest for tonight,” I said.
I let them know that I have private time every day with God and talk to him. The more I talk to him, the more I feel comfortable going before him to ask for forgiveness for the things I regret doing. I let them know I always feel better after I do that. That it was okay to speak directly to God about their sins. I told them that when they go home tonight and are in bed alone, they could talk to God about their sins, just between them and God. I shared that God would forgive them if they genuinely felt they were sorry for their sins, knew in their heart that they were wrong, and asked God to forgive them. I continued to share how we should fear God for doing wrong, especially when we know we are doing wrong. The best thing is that God gave his only son, Jesus, to clear us of our sins. I wanted them to know that God loves honesty and loves us so much that they will wake up fresh and new tomorrow morning, with all forgiven. When they go before the priest on their actual Penance time that weekend, they will know God’s love and forgiveness personally.
When returning to the class with the children after practice, I heard Sister Mary shouting down the hallway, “Mrs. Stenger, come and see me in my office when all the children have gone.” My adult self was channeling back to an inner Catholic girl who was shaking inside, heading down to the school office. One of the hall monitor moms passed me in the hallway and gave a little “I got you now” mean girl look. I thought it would be over-closing the door because we must leave the doors open to the classrooms. Sister Mary told me to close her office door. I thought I was being fired as a volunteer teacher. She told me how the hall monitor's mom had heard what I said to the children and was not happy with my point of view. There was what felt like a long pause. To break the silence, I began to apologize when Sister stopped me. She said, “You keep up the excellent work, and continue teaching those children the message of God’s love and forgiveness. Don’t worry about it. I am happy someone around here knows who our Father is and knows his love for us.” That evening, I thought about how those children were going home and having a personal one-on-one conversation with their Heavenly Father. How bittersweet is that!
Not fearing God causes us to fall away from God. These children were learning how great our God is that he could wipe us clean from sin. When we fear God, we want to be obedient and pleasing to him, and he keeps us close. God will judge us when we go before him now and when we die. Even if we try to hide our sins from others, we cannot hide them from God. He sees what we do and knows our every thought.
THINK ABOUT IT:
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 ESV
There is no other way to salvation than through Jesus Christ.
Jesus surrendered to be our sacrifice so we could receive forgiveness. Do you have a heart that wants forgiveness for your sins and a desire to enter the kingdom of heaven?
When you go before God to ask for forgiveness, are you spouting out a list, or do you genuinely feel remorse for those things in your heart? (Read Hebrews 4:12-13 and prepare your heart as a reminder, confess, and go to Jesus, the one who died for you, have a heart for your God.)
PRAY:
Say the Lord’s Prayer and know what it means. Read: Matthew 6:5-14
Pray then like this:
Our Father in heaven (You profess that you believe God is all-knowing and powerful to all people.)
Hallowed be your Name (God is holy and the one true God.)
Your Kingdom come (Inviting God’s kingdom to be part of our life walk as he promises.)
Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. (We ask for God’s grace, no matter how difficult; we want to please him, knowing we are sinners and desiring to commit our lives to Jesus. Living out His will and purpose for us on this earth as God would have it.)
Give us this day our daily bread (Everything we need comes from God.)
And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us (God teaches us that when we hold forgiveness in our hearts, there is room for forgiveness for our sins through his merciful love.)
And lead us not into temptation. (We need our Father’s help resisting temptation and leading us away from it.)
But deliver us from evil. (We ask God to protect us from Satan and his evil distractions and schemes.)
For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Note: Catechism Class (CCD Confraternity of Christian Doctrine): Learning about what makes up the Catholic faith and what reformed Christians believe about God, the Bible, our relationship with God, and the church.
Note: First Penance Sacrament: The child or new adult believer (the sinner) comes before Jesus in person through a priest who will hear your sins. The priest who hears the sins instructs the sinner on what they need to say or do to absolve the sins with the intention not to sin again. The priest welcomes the sinner back in the name of Jesus and the Christian community of believers.
