HOW Do We "Know No Fear," Exactly?

"The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are bold as a lion."
Proverbs 28:1 (ESV)

I thought when I finished work at Center Lake over Labor Day that I'd be done and have to figure out... well, everything.

And that sounds scary.

Odd as it is, one of the first things I'm doing for the fall is going back to camp to serve again. And maybe that's exactly what I need to do.

It's no accident that our theme at camp for 2011 was "Know No Fear." I've been more excited by some themes than others and some have made better t-shirt designs than others (still love my sweet Rebel shirt probably the best!) but this one, at least so far, has probably struck the hardest. The final unit Bob gave us for youth group before he left on vacation and eventually getting his new job in South Carolina was on courage. That unit wasn't far ahead of camp and I had to think about all this stuff in my own life with my family all along the way. No, it definitely wasn't an accident that we talked about being unafraid in this utterly mad world.

After coming home, I'll admit I've been frustrated by being completely unsure of what I'm supposed to be doing, not to mention the job thing. And this whole situation with Dad and how he's doing has been hard too and I haven't been doing well living up to what God wants from me. But I keep thinking if I claim to be a follower of Christ, someone who taught campers and worked with staff this summer on this whole theme of being "as bold as a lion," then I definitely need to be living that out myself. Even though it's hard and incredibly frustrating.

I remember telling kids that knowing no fear didn't mean simply denying the existence of what they were afraid because that doesn't work well. Focusing on what and far more importantly, Who (BIG HINT!), they loved. We serve and follow a great God, and should focus on serving Him, and more importantly, LOVING Him. We might be afraid, sure - but the floods cannot drown love, HIS love, and He gives us strength to stand, as Paul writes in Ephesians.