Musings on today's sermon

Today's scripture readings were the story of David and Goliath and when Jesus calmed the waters.  The sermon topic was on fear.  It was (jokingly) titled "It's all downhill from 15."  he said that at 15, you know everything so there's nothing to be scared of.  Ask any 15 year old and s/he can solve all the problems of the world.  The preacher asked for childhood fears and a variety of things were shouted out by congregation members.  He then asked for adult fears and no one said a word.

I've been mulling this over in my head all day (I think it's a good sermon and a good preacher that have you still thinking about the topic five hours later).  Are we able to state our childhood fears because they were things that we know as adults aren't really scary things?  I was trying to think of what my childhood fears were and I couldn't think of anything specific aside from the earth cellar at my grandparents' house. I've still never gone down in it.  I've been in the concrete cellar more times than I can count but the other was coined "the scary cellar" and I still avoid it (even though there's nothing more than dark and some spiders down there).  I'm sure there were some of the other usual things--thunderstorms, the dark, bad grades.  Thunderstorms can bring bad things but for the most part, it's just a lot of noise that will eventually pass.  No one asks to see your grades after you graduate.

I think grown-up fears are harder to verbalize because they are more real.  Our loved ones will get hurt, will get sick, and eventually will die no matter what we do.  Jobs are lost.  Accidents will happen.  Bad news will be received.  Marriages and friendships and family relationships will be tested.

I think the true test is our we face these fears and carry on with the rest of our lives.  It's not really in my nature to be a cynical person--I've been accused of being a Pollyanna although I don't think I really am.  I do try to be cheery and look on the bright side of things.  I'm sure part of this is in response to the fears that are always lingering in the back of my mind.  But I try to take care what needs to get done (and, yeah, sometimes I just take over and do it) and know that I can't change what is going to happen.  I can just have a good attitude about it.  I don't always turn the issue over to God, as the preacher reminded us to do this morning, although I am much better now than I was a few years ago.  And, thankfully, the sun always comes up in the morning so there's no need to worry about the dark.