Not Giving in to Fear

The Lord of the Rings is filled with unbelievable passages. If you've never read the books, buy them or check them out now. They are worth every minute. The movies are good too, but its just like they always say: the movie is never as good as the book.

There is an incredible dialogue between Aragorn (one of the heroes of the story) and Eowyn (daughter of the King of Rohan) that illustrates the power of fear. In one sense, fear never truly goes away. What matters is not that you fear, but what you fear. Scripture talks often about the Fear of the Lord. in fact, the writer of Proverbs says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdome. Does fearing God mean being afraid, even terrified of God? On one level, yes. He is a mystery and a consuming fire. If we fear God above everything, no other fear can take root in us. But what we find is that when we fear God--the word literally means "to reverence", we grow to love God. And that perfect love drives out fear.

Here's the dialogue between Aragorn and Eowyn. The Lady Eowyn is pleading to join Aragorn on a dangerous journey when she says these amazing words:

"I fear neither death nor pain."
"What do you fear, my Lady?"
A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all
chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.