Is fear the beginning of wisdom??

Not if the fear is in the wrong place.

Some things are okay to fear to a degree ...not to paralyze your every activity, but to to avoid being careless.

Other things are not healthy to fear at all.

And some things are not so much a fear ...but rather an avoidance of what is uncomfortable.  I'm not talking about violence or abuse.  We should not have to fear reporting that ...but if we have in the past, and the authorities have failed to do anything about it, then that would be a real fear.

But, some people fear to get out of bed in the morning ...and perhaps should confront that fear.  Sometimes the first step is the most difficult, yet that should not deter us from venturing beyond the comfort zone.  yes, there are fears ...and there are those who just don't want to do that which they have no desire to do.

It is often difficult to convince someone else of what you believe to be true ...especially what you believe to be true about what is 'going' to happen.

That is where the potential value of history comes in ...I say potential because so many ignore history, whether it is recent history in there their own life or a more broader range of history.

And do you know what happens when you ignore history?

No, it doesn't affect history as it would affect us if we ignored each other.  But, it does affect our perception of history ...and that may affect our future.

And it affects our understanding and growth.

And it more or less guarantees that we will repeat history.

History is often not just a record of our conquests and successes ...but our failures and mistakes too.

We repeat our mistakes because we venture on without heeding any warnings and without fear in the proper place.

 

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

Jesus said, "Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

He is not telliing us to not fear drugs and alcohol ...as they can destroy bodies, families, communities, and societies. Jesus was telling us to fear that spiritual depravity authored by Satan.

I just finished a book I received at Christmas, entitled "Miracles and Massacres" by Glenn Beck.  There are twelve separate stories ...all unique in the fact that they are not just stories from history, but historical lessons. We can learn something from each story by seeing successes and failures from our country's past.  They are very clear messages that if we had learned them, we would not be in the position we are today.  Yet, we can still learn them.  

But, will we learn?

We've learned not to trust ...and those who promote this lack of trust, are often the ones who want us to follow them.

I guess you could say that I cannot deny that I am in this category also.  Sure, I'd like you to trust me and trust what I am saying. But the difference is that it is not myself whom I would have you trust ...but He whom I trust in.

Yes, there can be many descriptions of who you trust in. Yet, I don't merely trust in the description that I read ...it is also that I trust in the relationship of each who have trusted in Him, and the description of the testimony of that relationship. And I believe in the testimony of truth written for us in the Bible.

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, yet once you understand that ...then you can also trust and believe in His love, which is through Jesus dying on the cross, and trust in His utterance, "It is finished."

Yet, also believe that it is a new beginning.