Hello Sunday!

Fear. According to the New Oxford dictionary, fear is as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

Two years ago I shared the following Facebook post– “Fear is only temporary. Regret lasts forever.”

Fear.

Fear causes anxiety. It causes people to make irrational decisions. It creates chaos. It paralyzes. It is the root cause of hatred. Fortunately, fear is only temporary; however, it can cause a lifetime of harm and pain. Listen, if it is not addressed or managed, it can be deadly.

Yesterday we celebrated the 60th anniversary of Ruby Bridges becoming the first African American student to integrate newly desegregated schools in the South. Y’all, little Ruby was only six years old when she took her historic walk through a crowd of hatred. Can you imagine the fear she must have felt walking through an angry mob just to attend school? It reminds me of Psalm 23:4 – “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Talk about POWERFUL! And let’s not forget the unfounded fear of the angry mobsters. Why were they so afraid?

Well, here we are 60 years later and some of those people and/or their children are still alive. Many attended school with Ruby. Some attended schools where other African American students were the first to integrate. I wonder if any of them regret their actions, anger, or fear, or are they still holding on to it and passing it along to other generations?

Here is my prayer. I pray God calms all of our fears so that we are able to think clearly, move forward, and live our best lives. Living in fear is not only detrimental to our health but to the survival of humanity.

Be Blessed

Shaun