Two kinds of fear (part 2)

It started as a burning sensation in my feet.

I tried treating it as if it were athlete’s foot, even though there was no visible rash on the bottom of my feet or between my toes. The burning never went away so I recently went to my doctor to talk to him about it. After some testing, the diagnosis came back “neuropathy.”

I have diabetes, so my blood sugar has been running high. Normal blood runs through our veins like water. With high blood sugar, it runs more like pancake syrup. This causes the blood to flow slower to the nerves in my feet. The nerve damage in my feet is not reversible, but if I maintain a good diet and exercise, I can keep it from getting worse.

I had not really been committed to diet and exercise for the past few months in spite of the fact that I knew I was diabetic. The fear of losing my feet (and possibly legs, and hands, and eyesight) has been a significant motivator towards taking diet and exercise more seriously.

In my last article, I talked about the wrong kind of fear. This fear I believe comes from the enemy and serves to slow us down and keep us from God’s blessings. The scriptures tell us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). This implies there is a good kind of fear to have. I think the best way to tell the right kind of fear is if that fear leads us towards some kind of positive action. Good fear will motivate us to be closer to God, but the wrong kind of fear paralyzes us and keeps us from Him.

Dennis McFarland is the pastor of the Plumwood Church of Christ in Christian Union, 175 Arthur Bradley Road. He can be reached at (740) 857-1714 or by e-mail at: plumwoodpastor@yahoo.com