Fear ... and the dark

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Black bird singing in the dead of night

Take these sunken eyes and learn to see

All your life you were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly

Into the light of the dark black night ..."

'Blackbird', The Beatles, 1968

Yay - a chance to use a Beatles song as an opener. The music may be a little bit more upbeat than what I was hoping to write about though.

My niece is still scared of the dark although she is seven. It may be partly my fault, as I felt compelled to tell her about werewolves when she was four and there was a full moon in the sky. My husband and I babysat her this weekend just gone, and she simply couldn't sleep by herself in her own bed, a habit her parents have allowed her to develop for some time now. Yet I think I have learnt something about my own fear of the dark recently too. Ironically, one occasion where this stood out was when we were playing a game with Lilly while we were babysitting her, which was essentially Hide and Seek in the dark. Another was when my work travels found me in a hotel room with a mouse and I was terrified that if I turned the lights out the mouse would have free rein. Obviously I too can still fear the dark like a child. But mostly the idea has stood out from our recent explorations through the gospel at church. We are to run toward the light and away from the dark, and we are to be light in the world. I feel that one way God is leading me on this particular journey right now is in my recognition that it's people that really matter, that it's really important to always give people the time of day and not feel that you can't afford to do that. God can use every one of these encounters for good.

Whilst we are called to avoid the darkness and what it embodies, we are also told that 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom', one of my favourite Bible quotes to regurgitate and ponder over. I remember having to discuss fear in a high school debate once and having to talk off the top of my head when my notes ran out to make up the time. We are told essentially to fear darkness, to fear God, but not to fear or worry about tomorrow. Yet we all fear different things. Fear can drive us or debilitate us. It actually causes a physiological 'fight or flight' response in us. The idea of fear is fascinating, and I must admit I'm glad God gave us such a quirk.