Fear - And The Angry Man with the Plunger

FEAR  - How can a simple four letter word have such control and authority over our lives? Franklin Roosevelt once said, "There's nothing to fear but fear itself."  Have you ever feared something? I mean truly feared? The power and control of fear causes us to do things we would never have done, or act in ways we never thought possible.

When the king of Egypt noticed the Israelites multiplying, he feared. He feared the Israelites might rise up and take control of his kingdom. His fear drove him to order the Hebrew midwives to kill every baby boy they delivered. His fear drove him to order the Israelite mothers to throw their sons into the Nile River. His fear drove him to sin.

The Israelite mothers who threw their sons in the Nile River also feared. They feared Pharaoh and they feared dying. But one woman feared something more. Jochebed, Moses’ mother, did not fear the king or losing her life - Jochebed feared losing her son. Her fear was directed toward losing something she loved and cherished, thus the reason for working hard to protect him and finding a way to release him in a safe way.

And yet there were others who feared something far greater than Pharaoh – the Hebrew midwives. Pharaoh ordered the midwives to kill. Not only did he order them to kill - but to kill babies! “The midwives, however, feared God (more) and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.” (EX 1:17 NIV)

After graduating from college I worked six months as an intern at a state school. The state I worked in has closed all the state schools since then. I must say, I had no idea how fear could control one’s life until working in that facility. The residents were all severely mentally handicapped and many could become extremely violent. One especially aggressive man came to one of my groups. After reading his case file I realized how hostile he could be. Every time I entered the group fear enveloped me. I was a young tiny woman at the time and these were real large sized men who towered over me.

Fear grabbed me and captured my entire being. In the midst of trying to cope, I wrote down every scripture I could find- related to fear - on note cards. I prayed, took deep breaths, and tried redirecting my thoughts - nothing helped. Over time, I felt the physical symptoms of fear – nausea, rapid heartbeat, anxiety, and stomach aches. I dreaded going to the class and desperately prayed for God to get me out of there. Then one day the moment I feared most happened. The aggressive man rose up in class and completely lost it. He ran into the bathroom and grabbed the plunger. He violently swung it hitting the wall and breaking the handle. The now broken plunger had become a sharp ended weapon. He held the wooden stick in his hands and jabbed at others around him. I tried using every technique taught to calm him down and redirect his attention. He charged at me and others raced to help. “The men are on the way,” they said. Male nurses and aids were coming. Total chaos broke out. I dodged the sharp end of the stick and he picked up the rocking chair and threw it in my direction. He sprinted out of the room charging at everyone in his way. He slammed and hit everything in sight. I stood in the doorway draped in fear - heart pounding through my chest. He finally lunged toward me and spit on my shirt.

 I’m not sure what happened  – but it was the one thing that caused my fear to suddenly disappear. I took in a deep breath, shoved my finger in his face, and shouted, “You don’t spit!!” “Stop that right now!!” I felt like an angry mother scolding her child. I didn’t care what came next, whether he would grab me or hurt me, I truly had had enough. But what came next was amazing.

This man, I had feared for months, stopped in his tracks, dropped the stick, and lowered his head. Like a scolded child he softly whispered, “Yes ma’am.” He couldn’t even look in my direction. I was shocked and completely thrown off guard. I kept my stance and with a firm voice told him to pick up the rocking chair and sit down. He did exactly as told. By the time the aides reached us to carry him out, he was calm and submissive.   

What does fear have control of in your life? Fear can destroy or spur us on to do the right thing. Are you like Jochebed whose fear kept her son safe? After Jochebed released her child, God took over and gave her son back to her. Do you fear God (in a positive way) like the Hebrew women? “And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.” Or does fear cause you to move toward sin like Pharaoh?

You see, the one thing that helped me overcome my fear of this man, was overcoming fear itself.

The scripture says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa 41:10)

 

At the end of the day, God is never far away. Do you want fear to control your journey? Let God have your worries, thoughts, stress, and above all - your FEAR.