Faith/Fear

Fear of Scripture

Have you ever thought back to a lesson your parents tried to teach you as a child and all you heard was WHOMP WHOMP?

Lessons like, “You should eat your vegetables.”; “You should do your homework before your playtime to get it out of the way.”; “You should always shop the sales racks…” Our response to such sage advice ranged from an eye roll to a full-blown fit.

And then, we began adulting.

The more challenges we face and the more consequences we suffer, our parents’ wisdom emerges from the back of our psyches. You really do need to eat your vegetables first to keep your health on track. You can relax more during fun activities if you do not have the constant brain talk that comes with procrastination. And managing a budget is best accomplished when we are frugal about how much we spend.

Like it or not, our parents knew what they were talking about. We just had to have a few more life experiences before we understood the truth within the lesson.

Growing up in the church, we were all told that we needed to read our Bible. Our pastor droned on each week about the importance of the scriptures. Our Sunday School teachers drilled us on the books of the Bible. During Vacation Bible School, we heard stories of the Bible. But somehow, the lessons of the Bible are lost on us much like our parent’s lessons were when we were children.

Consider this. Just as we needed more experiences to understand the wisdom we need to be adults, the more experience we have reading biblical material the more understandable it can become. Wisdom comes with experience.

My advice…think of reading the Bible as a group activity. Learning with friends brings laughter, shared experiences, and encouragement. Honestly, the characters of the Bible are adulting just like us. Sometimes they learn the lesson and sometimes they don’t. Thank goodness God is always sharing the lessons we need to learn!

Blessings,
Pastor Carol

See you Sunday. When you are not here, you are missed!