The Paralysis Of Fear

In Adam Hamilton’s new and pastorally-rich book called Unafraid: Living With Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times, he sorts out fear and takes it on. I recommend this book for those who are suffering from fear and for pastors who need to address fear in the congregation.

I was impressed with the range of endorsements:

“I want every American to read Adam Hamilton’s Unafraid. There is no saccharine advice in this book, only honest assessments about the danger of nurturing fears and the power of facing them down.”
—Diana Butler Bass, author of Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks

“Fear is the great thief. It steals our peace. It quietly deprives us of one present moment after another, without our even knowing. In Unafraid, Adam gives us a thoughtful, literate, faith-filled guide to re-claiming our minds and our lives.”
–John Ortberg, senior pastor of Menlo Church in Menlo Park, California, and author of I’d Like You More If You Were More Like Me

“Fear can cause us to become discouraged, disheartened and even despairing. In its worst manifestations, it can paralyze us, rendering us incapable of any productive activity. But in his bold new book, Adam Hamilton gives us a way out and points us towards a hopeful future.” 
–James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage

“Fear cannot be cured with a self-help book.  We need a get-help book, and Adam Hamilton has provided exactly that. Informed by psychology and neuroscience, he  applies practical wisdom gleaned from the Bible and from his years as a pastor. I could almost feel my blood pressure go down as I read.” 
–Philip Yancey, author, The Jesus I Never Knew and What’s So Amazing About Grace?

Adam Hamilton opens by sketching the location of fear in the brain’s amygdala and then proposes two F-E-A-R acronyms:

That’s how it is with most of the things we fear. We spend a lot of time and emotional energy worrying about and fearing things that will never happen. You’re likely familiar with the acronym for these specific kinds of fears:

False
Events
Appearing
Real

… And we’ll go beyond the lyrics of a George Michael song to show how a deeply rooted faith in God can literally change our lives. Faith of this sort empowers millions to live with courage in the face of real fear and extreme difficulties—and I’m confident it can help you too.

I’m not, for example, talking about a saccharine faith that assures us that if we pray hard enough nothing bad will ever happen to us. As a pastor, I’ve walked with enough people through hell to know that this is not how life works. I am not proposing the theologically inaccurate view that everything that happens is the will of God. And I won’t insult you by suggesting that if only you have enough faith, you’ll never have fears. But I will suggest that a well-considered faith in God and the timeless insights of scripture can have a profound impact on your ability to experience peace, hope, and joy despite your fears.

That’s why I can propose another acronym that captures four important steps we’ll consider in the pages ahead:*

Face your fears with faith.
Examine your assumptions in light of the facts.
Attack your anxieties with action.
Release your cares to God.

But I do know that what your inner doomsayer fears most is that you’ll take one small step of faith: You reach for pen and paper. You make the call. You decide you’ll take a risk to get your life back. You look your giant in the eye. And with that step, you’re already in motion. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Do the thing we fear, and the death of fear is certain.”

Yes, many suffer much from an “inner doomsayer.”

Later he quotes this one: “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”