Yesterday afternoon, my kids and I watched one of our favorite movies: The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything from Veggie Tales. Larry the cucumber (playing Elliot) cracks me up in this movie. He’s always referring to his “list.” It’s the list of things he fears, including darkness, snakes, spiders, and wicker furniture, among other things. At one point he yells back at a fearsome character who is pursuing them, “I’m putting you on my list!!!”
I have my own list. Here’s a sampling:
Redecorating
Dark
Telephones
Asking people for help
As you can see, I will probably never be a telemarketer or a fundraiser!
My kids found a bonus feature on our DVD where Larry actually recites from his list. It’s very funny. “Polka dots, tater tots, hypodermic needle shots. Flying squirrels, strings of pearls, polka dancing with a girl. Whiffle balls, Niagara falls, perfume kiosks in a mall. Banana crepes, seedless grapes, Tim Burton’s version of the apes. Chop suey, milk that’s chewy, and to tell the truth… Buzzsaw Louie (veggie tales character).”
Though I enjoyed laughing at Larry’s ridiculous fears, fear itself is no laughing matter. Fear has kept me from enjoying many things in life. I am horribly shy and will often talk myself out of participating in social situations, even when I know that I would probably enjoy them. Other people become so crippled by fear that they cannot leave their own homes.
When I typed “fear” into my favorite bible search site, biblegateway.com, I found 326 entries. I found 206 for “afraid.” Obviously fear is important to us humans. Here’s one of my favorites: When I am afraid, I will trust in you. Psalm 56:3 [NIV]
Your assignment, should you choose to take it? Think a bit about your own fears. Make a list if it is helpful. Then go to your concordance (if you have one) or go to Bible Gateway and type in “afraid.” Skim through the words of the verses that appear. How many times does God tell us not to be afraid? What is His answer to fear? See if you can answer this question: “Do not be afraid because…”
Come back and share your answers. I’m sure we would all benefit from reading them, myself included!
I love veggie tales!