Dealing With Fear

One of the things we carry with us in these troubled days is fear.  While there is a certain amount of fear that is relative to our own personal health, there is also a good measure of fear that we carry of other people.  Never can I remember a time when such fear entered into the equation of human relationships.  Instead of seeing everyone around us as one who has within the essence of God, we are now first seeing those around us possible threats to our health, or the health of our loved ones.

 

Whether we are ready to confess it or not, fear is running rampant even as we interact with one another at a distance.  One of the things which might be considered in these days to help us keep our sanity and our perspective is to bridge the gap between ourselves and others with prayer.  It is no new idea to pray for others, but as we realize how fear is taking hold of the dynamics of our relationships, praying might be an antidote which would help us to continue with a caring spirit.  We can pray for those who remain physically distant from us as we speak, or we can begin to pray for our neighbors who we are not seeing as we did before these days came upon us. 

The Scripture is rich in encouragements to pray for one another.  These days of being separated from normal activities and the people normally socially engaged surely put a strain on all of us, upon our family relationships, and our inner life.  And, even as we pray for one another, we should not be hesitant to pray for ourselves.  Loving others and caring for them always begins with loving ourselves and caring for ourselves.  A stocked pantry is a good thing in hard times.  Even better is a heart that is filled with an awareness of the abiding presence of Christ.