Callapidder Days

What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, and doubt, what would remain?

This is the premise behind Max Lucado’s latest book, Fearless. In Fearless, Lucado walks with readers through an examination of the many forms and flavors of fear that touch our lives — everything from the fear of not mattering to the fear of death to the fear that God is not real.

In typical (and enjoyable) Max Lucado style, each chapter is sprinkled with real-life anecdotes, metaphors and examples that get right to the heart of the matter, and an appropriate dose of reality from Scripture. We see how the life, the words, and the actions of Jesus can calm our fears and bolster our faith.

It’s not hard to relate to the disciples who cried out in the middle of a storm, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (Matt. 8:25) Any variety of events and circumstances can leave me feeling frightened, anxious, or as if I’m drowning. But in what I feel is the primary strength of Fearless, Lucado reminds us over and over that Jesus has authority over the storms of life — all the things that stir up anxiety or unease within us are under His control.

One chapter that I particularly appreciated was the one on “Fear of Not Protecting My Kids.” While I may give economic downturns and potential natural disasters no more than a passing glance, I’ve been known to worry (a bit too much, I admit) about the health and well-being of my kids. Lucado provides a welcome reminder to me:

“…our kids were [God's] kids first…Before they were ours, they were his. Even as they are ours, they are still his…Wise are the parents who regularly give their children back to God.”

Fearless reads quickly. It’s packed with encouragement and appropriate reminders of God’s sovereignty and love. And since we live in a world that provides plenty of opportunity for doubt, fear, and anxiety, I’m sure this book will be a welcoming comfort to many. The important thing is that Fearless repeatedly points readers back to Jesus, the source of our comfort and the antidote to all our fears.

You can learn more about Fearless at the Thomas Nelson website, and you can pick up a copy at Amazon.com.