Fearfully Happy or Happily Fearful?

"Happy is the one who is never without fear, but one who is hard-hearted will fall into calamity." - Proverbs 28:14

Interesting. As I was flipping through my Bible today trying to come up with something to write about, l ran across this proverb. I read it a few times thinking it was a typo. "Happy is the one who is never without fear." Sounds like a contradiction in terms to me. Whenever I've been afraid, I haven't exactly considered myself happy. In fact, generally, my feelings would be quite the opposite. Fear, anxiety, and sorrow tend to go hand in hand. And I really couldn't figure out what the second half of that proverb had to do with the first, "but one who is hard-hearted will fall into calamity." While I understand and agree with that second part, it just doesn't seem to have any connection with the first part.

Hmmm.... let me think.... When we are afraid, we tend to be in a situation over which we have very little - if any - control. That's what makes us afraid in the first place, the fact that something is happening over which we have no control. Whether it's a test we feel we may fail or fear of losing someone dear to us or what we can't see in the dark... it's something that is now out of our hands. Considering the things that make us afraid, why would anyone who is never without fear be happy? And what does being hard-hearted have to do with not being afraid?

Well, I think the answer to those questions may lie in 2 Corinthians, where Paul writes, "but (God) said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.' So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9b-10)

Weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, calamities... these are certainly things that would produce fear. When we are afraid and we feel we have no control over the situation, all we can do is turn to Christ. In turning to him, he gives us the strength to face our fears and whatever the outcome of the situation may be. In that way we have happiness, for our fear draws us closer to God. When we are unafraid, feeling that we can do anything and all things by ourselves, then we become hard-hearted. We stop seeing the dangers (and blessings) around us because we mistakenly believe we can do it all on our own - that we are invincible. We stop depending on God and calamity awaits us because we become blinded by our own 'brilliance' rather than having our path illuminated by the light of Christ.

If we are never without fear, we are never without the realization that we depend upon God. In acknowledging our dependence on God, we find happiness and peace. It becomes a circle. Perhaps what the teacher is trying to tell us in this proverb is that happy is the one who is never without fear, who never depends solely on their own abilities but rather depends upon a God who is with us in our fear and in our joy; a God who gives us strength and will carry us through all the weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities we might face.

May God be with us and may we be happy in our fears.