“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”–CS Lewis

Fear has a way of taking hold of us and paralyzing us, doesnt it? I think of the ways that fear stops me from doing things because I am afraid of what will or will not happen. After a death, there is fear in what comes next and how does one move forward when our loved one is no longer with us. It is literally as if the rug has been pulled out from underneath us.

In Scripture, the words “Do not be afraid” apparently appear 365 time; one for every day of the year. Now I don’t know about you, but that does not seem like a coincidence to me. God knew that life would be filled with ups and downs, joys and sorrows. God wants us to know that God is always there with us. God will never leave us or forsake us.

We hear these words in the Old Testament. In Isaiah chapter 41, verse 10 we hear, “Do not fear, for I am with you, Do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” Those words “Do not be afraid” were also said to Mary as the Angel told her that she would bear the Christ child. Those words are a daily reminder that God calls us to live each day fearless.

Living fearless is not easy. In fact, when the ones we love are no longer with us and they are the ones who gave us the strengthen to try new things, it is nearly impossible. Yet God promises that God will always walk this journey with us. God calls us to trust in him; to trust in faith over fear.

Faith over fear allows us to move forward  in life after loss and grief. Faith over fear gives us the strength to be surrounded by community who sing, pray, and believe for us when we cannot do those things for ourselves. Faith over fear reminds us that we loved and were loved…thats why the loss hurts so deeply. Faith over fear gives us the courage to live fearless in the face of loss and grief. Because the truth is that fear is a liar!

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