"Faking Fearlessness"

 

“Faking Fearlessness”

 

In the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “The King and I” the governess Anna sings this familiar song to her son:

“Whenever I feel afraid I hold my head erect

And whistle a happy tune So no one will suspect I’m afraid.

 

While shivering in my shoes I strike a careless pose

And whistle a happy tune And no one ever knows I’m afraid.

 

The result of this deception Is very strange to tell

For when I fool the people I fear I fool myself as well…

 

Make believe you’re brave And the trick will take you far

You may be as brave As you make believe you are.”

 

Many people (including Christians) try to mask their emotions by faking fearlessness and “putting on a happy face” while our insides are churning. So how do we deal with fear? King David admitted it and knew where to turn when he wrote, “When I am afraid, I will trust in (God).” (Psalm 56:3). This was his response when fear threatened him and ought to be ours as well.

Many times in God’s Word we’re told not to fear, (Confession time: In an earlier posting I repeated something I’d seen on line that “Fear not” appears 365 times in Scripture without verifying it from other sources. I rechecked it for this article and found that it occurs only 71 times in the KJV—other versions vary widely—and even if similar thoughts and phrases are included the total is about 110-115. Still a large number but nowhere near one for each day.  So learn from me to check statements’ accuracy before citing them as facts.)

So learn from me to check statements’ accuracy before citing them as facts.) Paul assured his young coworker that “…God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV). Our Heavenly Father has provided us with resources to win the battle over fear (“…Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.”—Isaiah 41:10) but it’s up to us to put them into practice.

 

So let’s forget about whistling happy tunes and putting on happy faces and face, not fake, our struggles and “…trust and not be afraid.” (Isaiah 12:2)

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan