the Empathy List #47: Fear is not the bad guy.
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the Empathy List #47: Fear is not the bad guy.
What can we learn from our fear?
Hello, friend. Liz, here.
This week, a dear friend told me to sit in my fear.
I’ve been struggling through my own feelings about church and authority and submission for many years now. And I admit that this season—with the voices of extremist christian leaders magnified—has heightened that exploration for me.
I’ve been afraid about many, many things: COVID, the insurrection at the capital, the way the insurrection seems to intersect with Christianity …not to mention all the personal fears that dog me.
Actually, as I confided all my thoughts to my friend, her advice was more pointed: sit in your fear with Jesus.
We often feel that Jesus only wants the best parts of us. But Jeremiah has been called the weeping prophet, several prophets told God they wanted to die TO GOD’S FACE, and Elijah nearly took his own life by wandering off into the desert. Gutsy.
We can bring our entire selves to God. God’s not threatened by our biggest, boldest feelings, and by making ourselves raw to God, we can experience healing. Or maybe that’s just me with all the extra tears these days… ;-)
By the way, #1 below is an essay written by yours truly about recovering from Christian nationalism. Tell me what you think, would you?
Warmly, Liz Charlotte Grant
P.S. Follow me elsewhere on my website, on Facebook and on Instagram.
#1
By yours truly: A brief history of the Christian flag, which was sighted at the capital building last Wednesday, and recovering from Christian Nationalism.
(The Curator) Read more…
#2
Remember the Y2K panic? It wasn’t a hoax, not really.
(Christ and Pop Culture) Read more...
#3
He’s the most hated man in Colorado. Meet influencer David Lesh, troll of the outdoors.
(The New Yorker) Read more…
#4
The Bad News: COVID-19 has mutated.
The Good News: Our new vaccines work against every form of COVID so far.
(Scientific American) Read more…
#5
A real life mystery story that explores the complexity of pleading “insanity” in court.
(Rolling Stone) Read more…
(P.S. Longreads highlighted this story and others on their “best true crime of 2020” list. Read them all.)