Fear of the Lord = Respect for the Lord

Somewhere in life, I developed a fear of God.
Where that was, I don't know. For me, Jesus was love, the Holy Spirit was my guidance counselor, but God was a different story. I just couldn't connect the Three into One and the word "fear" was immediately followed by a shiver of fear every time I read a scripture that talked about fear of the Lord.  Slowly,  I realized that my brain was translating fear into the following three phrases:

• Fear = scared and shaking
• Fear = punishment for being bad
• Fear = sent to Hell for sin

 In 2009, I realized that this reaction was irrational and based on "false evidence that was appearing as real" (FEAR). Educating myself about the different definitions of "fear": was the first action I took.

• Fear = Anxiety; solicitude; the cause or object which excites  apprehension.  OK, I knew THIS definition by heart and that was my problem. So I continued to read the other definitions.
• Fear =  Reverence for God and his laws, which springs from a just view and love of the divine character.
• Fear = Reverence; respect; due regard for rightful authority.
• Fear = To reverence; to have reverential awe of ; to venerate
• Fear = To have fear for or be solicitous concerning (rare)

Anxiety was definitely what I was feeling about that darn word, fear. However, not one definition contained the word punishment! Instead, I read about reverence and respect. Not just ordinary respect, but the highest degree of respect or veneration. Now I had some ammunition to use on my irrational reaction.

The resolution of my problem was simple. Every time I felt fear shoot through me when reading about fear of the Lord I followed these simple steps:

1. Self talk:  When I felt apprehensive after reading "fear of the Lord" I would tell myself," Stop, it isn't that kind of fear. It's reverence and respect."
2. Substitution: I would reread the verse and substitute the word reverence for fear.
3. Persistence: I practiced steps one and two until I quit feeling fear!

It took time and patience to develop a new way of thinking, but today I am positive that God is a loving Father, Jesus is love, and the Holy Spirit loves me too. The connection of the Three as One took time, but it started with removing an irrational feeling that wasn't true.