With God, You Don’t Have to Be Afraid
I heard recently about a train station (probably an “L”) in Chicago that may be re-opened. The surrounding neighborhood has been redeveloped so it makes sense to re-activate the station at the heart of it. It isn’t going to be new construction; it isn’t going to involve buying up properties; and since it’s just a matter of re-opening an existing facility, there shouldn’t even have to be any environmental studies to speak of. The time estimate for completing the project? Ten years.Ten. Years.
Institutions often move slowly for good reason. The best reason amounts to avoiding the emotion of the moment. Beyond that, we all have an interest in things being done with honesty and transparency; everyone wants things to be done rightly and in good order, and that can take time. But ten years?Institutions are also prone to move slowly because it’s easier to put off a decision rather than to actually make one, and that’s NOT a good reason! There is also fear—fear of making a mistake; fear of change; fear of an unknown. So, we build barriers against actually deciding. Fear is paralyzing, whether in making an institutional decision or in our individual lives. It’s no wonder “Fear not!” is one of the most repeated phrases in scripture!God reassured Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” And God spoke to his people through the prophet Isaiah, “Fear not, for I am with your, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, help you, and uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Jesus told his disciples, “My peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Paul wrote to Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
”What a blessing to know that God is with each of us, and with all of us together in the family of the church as we move forward day by day (…and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here; trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, I’ve no cause for worry or for fear…)
