So, why is freedom scary? There are, no doubt, a number of reasons and they vary from person to person.
Some struggle with the fear of failure, even when they are succeeding. Some tire and fray at the effort of performing because they are fairly sure that the love or regard that others have for them are dependent upon their last performance. And others hide from their freedom, afraid that if they exercise it they will run the risk of making a mistake. When we exercise freedom we also make commitments and decisions that define us and our future. The sheer uncertainty on the other side of such choices can leave us paralyzed and keep us from making any choice at all, or it can paralyze us mid-stream. “Why am I out here?” we ask ourselves.
At a more basic level, however, I think we also find freedom scary because we are uncertain about what to do with it without God’s help. When we make choices we have the same experience, that our dog had that I mentioned yesterday. “I’m out here, I’m not supposed to be out here, and it’s dark. Help!”
Some thoughts about how we cope with our freedom. For now it might be worth asking what kinds of fear keep us from exercising our freedom.