Fear Factor

I recently saw this sign hanging in a store window. (sorry the photo is blurry. I took it with the camera on my cell phone. It was the only camera I had with me.) I honestly have to say that I was appalled at this sign. Advertisers for years have used the fear factor to sell things. But usually the message is at least a little more subtle than this sign. In this sign they just blatantly tell you what so many other advertisers hint at.

It amazes me how much what we do is motivated out of fear. And how early that "fear factor" starts in our lives. Even little kids are told if you don't act in a particular way or dress in a certain way then no one will like you. Parents worry that is they don't get their kids into the right preschool then the kids won't have a shot at going to the right college because they won't get into the right elementary school which means they won't get into the right middle school or the right high school. We worry if we don't drive the right car or wear the right kind of suit then we won't get the right job.

Girls stress about their image and focus way too much attention on their body type and worry if they don't look like one of the models in a magazine then no guy will ever want to date them. (On a side note, even those models don't really look like that. All their imperfections and flaws that make them real humans is airbrushed out)

Right now all the hype about the recession in the economy and the fear of not knowing what will happen has driven a lot of people's financial decisions. We don't try new things or attempt to learn new skills because we're afraid we won't be any good at them. So we would rather not try than right failing at something.

I understand that not all fear is bad. Sometimes fear helps to keep us safe. But as Christians, fear it not intended to be our primary motivator. We're called to love God and our neighbor. That's what is intended to be our motivation for all that we do in life. Sometimes God calls us out of our comfort zones and into scary places. Ok, in reality, often God calls us into places that require us to face our fears and to move beyond them.

Where is God calling you? What fears do you need to face in order to do what God has called you to?