HEALTHY RESPECT

 We all have fears.  I have told you before I try to not reveal my fears, since that can come back to bite you in the rear.  I have a slight phobia (Greek origin meaning fear) of closed or tightly confined spaces.  Huge crowds can cause a panic if I am tightly hemmed in.  I have many friends who are deathly afraid of snakes--any snake.  I was able to get over that one growing up in the country surrounded by woods and water.  Some of our fears are rational and some borderline crazy.  Fear can rule your world if you are not careful.

When my nieces and nephew were small children, they lived in the midst of a neighborhood filled with other children.  There was always some mischief going on.  One day a mother had tracked down her misbehaving child and was dragging them home, smacking them on their rear on the way.  As they watched this happening, one of the children looked at the others and said, "Ms B  sho can whup good!"  They all gained a little fear of crossing Ms B that day.

I really do not remember fearing my mother.  I do remember having a healthy respect for her justice system.  Punishment was swift and sure when you were caught offending her sense of right.  I knew she loved me, but also knew she would put me in my place if I crossed the line.

As I was reading today's devotional, those often repeated words from the Good Book, "Fear Not" were discussed.  Are we to fear God or are we to have a healthy respect for exactly Who our God is?  The devotional writer called it a "healthy fear".  To quote the author, "It is an understanding of who God is in relation to us.  It means respect, reverence, awe, honor, adoration and worship; it could even be translated as 'love for God'."  He goes on, but you get the gist.  As I knew Momma could swiftly discipline, I also knew she always did it with love.  I had a healthy respect for the authority she had in my life and needed to be obedient.

So it is with God, He does not want us to be fearful but instead have a healthy respect for Who God is.  "Fear God" is not a negative, but a positive statement.  It indicates who we are in relationship to who He is.  Do we want to serve a God who inspires no fear--no threat when we stray, or a God who will discipline those He loves?   What a great God we serve.