I’ve come to see fear of anything as a lack of trust in God. If we think that we are in charge then we aren’t trusting that God is in charge.

Fear of flying is one example. If you won’t get on a plane because you are afraid it will crash, you are putting your life in your own hands and taking it out of God’s hands. You are not understanding that you will live as long as you will live only because God is in charge.

You did not cause your own birth. Likewise, your death is out of your hands. Your birth and your death and everything in between is in God’s hands.

Obsessive compulsive behavior is another example. In this behavior you are showing that you believe that your safety and well being is in your hands, and not in God’s. In this situation, you may think that if you turn off the lights a certain way, you will be safe. Or you may think that if you drink tea on Wednesdays instead of coffee, you will have a good day at work. It is all about ritual and not about faith.

And perhaps that is what is at the heart of the problem with church these days. Too much ritual and not enough faith.