The term “God-fearing” is an ancient term that is found in many holy books, including the bible. For those who are unfamiliar with spiritual studies the term stirs up images of puritanically religious people who literally frighten others into believing the way they do so they can manipulate or dominate them. Unfortunately, many churches and religious institutions have practiced their beliefs in this manner, creating many conflicts and injustices perpetuated in the name of God. Historians and social commentators point to the violence and exploitation of crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, and colonialism as examples. In New England, there is also the history of the Salem Witch Trials where innocent women were unjustly accused of causing trouble and participating in the occult. Many of them were executed after they were declared guilty. Still, many people feared God and strove to live a pious life. That fear was one of reverence and awe in a perilous and uncertain time.
My first experience of understanding respect for God occurred when I was 5 years old. I was raised in a Catholic family. I did not know any prayers but remember being taken to church and then to a classroom. At the front of the class, there was a stern and serious looking woman dressed in black with a covering over her head. She was a Catholic sister – a nun. She looked serious but I wasn’t afraid of her. As I listened, I knew she was speaking English, but I didn’t know what she was talking about.
I put my head down on my desk and began to cry. I don’t remember if I was crying loudly or softly but suddenly, it was quiet. When I raised my head up, the nun was crouching down to meet me eye to eye. At first, I gasped. The nun said, “Don’t be afraid, Lucy (the name I used through school). I want to ask you a question. How old are you?” I tearfully responded back, “Five.” Then she asked me “Do you understand what I am talking about?” I replied, “No.” Then the nun said, “I think we can help you. Next week, we will put you in the first-grade class where it will be easier for you to understand things. How does that sound?” “Good,” I replied. Then the nun said, “Now put your head down and rest.” The kindness of this nun eased my fear.
All religions have some version of the term God-fearing. All worshippers of the Holy want to connect with their deity in honest and respectful ways, too. The Christian scriptures tell us that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Proverbs 9:10 NRSV). In this passage, fear means that a reverence for God is the door to obtaining wisdom. Our experience of God can bring us insights to guide us through troubling times.
Consider in your life how reverence for the sacred can be borne out into a life of purpose and integrity.
The definition of God-fearing evokes respect, reverence, wonder, and devotion. All these attitudes and actions stem from love. When we love someone, we want to be near them. We want to know them better and we want to please them because making them happy makes us happy. This is what relationships are all about.
Author and pastor, Tony Evans, once said “To fear God means to take God seriously, as opposed to taking God casually.” When we are in loving relationships, we are committed to connecting with the other person and participating in life with them.
Unfortunately, many people have been traumatized by religious or authority figures who misused the concept of reverence for God and honoring the holy by making people afraid of them. Many have been abused as children in the name of God. Some were financially exploited. Still, others were neglected even though they were very loyal to the church, priest, or minister.
When I meet patients in the hospital who are sick or dying, I can often tell how they have been treated by the way they respond to me as a chaplain. Some will receive me and want to talk. Others will just ask for prayer. They don’t want anything else. Still others reject me immediately because they associate me (or what I represent) with a negative experience from their past. This makes me sad, but I accept their decision and move on to offer support to the next person if they want it.
We live in a pluralistic society, but people from all cultures can understand when you are showing them goodwill. If they are spiritual, they will understand that you revere the holy and want to reach out to them, pray for them, or impart something of value to them. A wise spiritual teacher, Paramahansa Yogananda, spoke of revering God in this way, “Trust in God and destroy fear, which paralyzes all efforts to succeed and attracts the very thing you fear.”
Human beings are afraid of many things like heights, spiders, and public speaking. Those fears can be cured by therapy and exposure to the object of your fear. Sometimes medications are used to help with fear and anxiety. People are also genuinely afraid of violence, wars, economic uncertainty and the capriciousness of unstable leaders and people in authority who make decisions that hurt others. While fear of danger is a necessary instinct for survival, constant fear inhibits connection, dialogue and meaning. In contrast, the fear of God drives out the lesser fears of life and puts things into perspective. We begin to understand how moral and ethical behavior stems from that reverence for God. As we show respect for our Creator, may we trust that God is with us and blesses us as we succeed in our efforts to live decent and morally consistent lives.
