What is Friggatriskaidekaphobia? No, it is not a new teenage swear word.
It means having a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th. I think this is a ridiculous fear. Having said that, I do suffer from Sesquipedalophobia.
We all have fears. They can be rational or irrational, healthy or unhealthy. What do we do with our fears? Psychologists say that there are three responses to fear – fight, flight, or freeze. While you are fighting, fleeing, or frozen in your fears consider God.
12 You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. 13 For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41
Those who trust in the living God must remember that they are never alone in their fears. When you know that God is so close it effects the way you live.
For me, I work really hard at never making decisions based on fear, but rather based on faith – I make choices that show my faith rather than my fears (though they are still there at the time).
Here are some things for us to consider. When we run from our fears, where or who are we running too? Does God want us to stay and fight? When we choose to fight our fears, are we fighting in a way that befits a follower of Jesus? Finally, when we are scared stiff, we need to remember that God is there regardless of how we feel.
Don’t forget courage is not about being fearless, but about making decisions despite your fears. This is easiest when you have faith in Jesus as he understands fear and knows the way through it.
