Fear Knot

Fear Knot

October 17, 2010

A couple of years ago, we had the opportunity to meet up with some of our children and grand-children in southern California for some Disney fun.  Having grown up in the area, I have long been a fan of anything Disney but I had not yet had the chance to visit the California Adventure. 

We spent the first day in Disneyland and it was better than I had remembered.   The next day we went to California Adventure and, truth be told, I liked it better than Disneyland.  I guess when you hit 60 the magic starts to fade just a bit!  The "Soarin' Over California" ride had me feeling like I could smell the ocean spray and feel the heat of the desert as our adventure "flew" us over the California landscape.  We were happily amused by the "Monster's Inc." ride, and the Muppet 3-D Theater had me reaching out to grab flying cannonballs that appeared to sail directly overhead.  But my favorite adventure was the "Grizzly River Run" where their tag-line is "The wetter, the better."  I could have ridden that rapid river raft all day.

But my kids and grandkids had other ideas.  The premier adventure at this park is the giant roller coaster named California Screamin'...and from all the sounds emanating from said ride, it is aptly named.  Never a fan of roller coasters AT ALL, I read the posted signs about this coaster... the usual warnings about no riders with heart or back problems, no expectant mothers, etc.  This coaster does not start with a slow gentle climb...it's more akin to the way F-14's take off from an aircraft carrier.  The promotional statements brag that "accelerators catapult cars from 0 to 55 miles per hour in just 4.7 seconds." There are cork screws and a complete 360, guaranteed to make you lose your glasses or your lunch, whichever comes first.

As I watched the riders hanging upside down as the demon machine completed its 360, I felt this little knot forming in the pit of my stomach…nothing but pure fear.  I did not want to ride this thing, no matter how safe it proclaimed to be.  But my descendants, bless their hearts, had thrown down the gauntlet.  I wanted my fear knot to turn into a Fear Not, but it didn't happen.  It was decision time.

I've read some things lately that make me think a lot of people, and especially some Christians, are troubled by fear knots.   Many are afraid of Republicans and more are afraid of Democrats.  Some think Obama is going to kill all the grandmothers, or at least take away all their pills.  Some are afraid that the Muslims will be taking over the National Day of Prayer. There is fear of taxes, loss of services, Harry Potter, and even Disney!  Seems like many are just a big bundle of fear knots.

With this being an election year, the fear knots seem to increase exponentially with the political rhetoric.  Each political party plays on that fear, assuring us that if the opposing party gets into power, our way of life is sure to end, or at least be unalterably changed.  Political ads are designed to produce fear knots, with little regard to the actual truth.  This is not confined to one party or one political ideology; they all do it!

The truth is that the world is not coming to an end because of who gets into power.  Sure, it’s fine to be concerned and I urge everyone to vote, but beyond that, there is not much we can do to affect the outcome of world politics.  Even if major changes are made, be they good or bad in your opinion, we are always only one election away from having things do a corkscrew turn, just like that California Screamin’ roller coaster.  Our kids are not going to fall into sin because of some silly subliminal “something” on a Disney cartoon.  Harry Potter is not going to turn us all into witches, warlocks, or cause our children to cast spells.  To me, it is not that far removed from “Bedknobs and Broomsticks”.  And, although I too decry to state of world affairs and the politics we see all around us, I refuse to let myself be controlled by fear.  That the world will end someday is inevitable, but I firmly believe that there is a higher power that holds all this in the palm of His hand and our “fear knots” need to be “fear NOTS”. 

The worst thing we can do is to be controlled by the fears that the media seems to delight in casting our way.  In reality, we have very little verification for what is true and what is “spin” anyway.  I am going to enjoy the world God has created, I am going to watch Disney movies, drink Pepsi-Cola (even if they are able to set up their soda can display in such a way as to spell out the word ‘sex’), I am going to vote but not be obsessed with politics, and I am going to continue to eat bacon and use butter instead of margarine!

Oh, back to the California Screamin’ ride.  Yes I did go on that ride.  I knew that the operator of that ride ran the thing many times a day and I reasoned that by now he must know his job pretty well.  I trusted him to get me back safely.  One of my biggest fears was that I would lose my glasses and then where would I be?  So I decided the best course of action was to stow the glasses in my fanny pack and just hold on for dear life.  Sometimes it’s best not to see what’s coming at you anyway.  If we could see the future we might not want to face it!  The ride isn’t something I want to do again anytime soon but I am proud that I conquered my fear knot and had the experience. 

So when you feel those old fear knots forming in your heart and mind, remember that sometimes you just have to take off your glasses and hold on and trust that the One who is running this ride called life knows exactly what He is doing.  Know Him, and He will get you through and if you allow it, will turn your fear knots into Fear Nots.

Donna Krecklow