WHY ARE YE FEARFUL?

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 54, 18 May 1942, Page 6

WHY ARE YE FEARFUL?

LIFE, THE WORLD —AND YOU By Laurencc Hope. As I write to-day this country is facing a new peril. The war has come closer to our shores. Here in sunny Australia, we find that our lives are in danger; there is grave risk of bodily iinjury or deatii. And so it is that we are anxious and perturbed.

We are meeting the new menace with ai fine courage and a sturdy resolution. I have not yet met anyone who is afraid —really afraid I mean.

When I set out on this series of articles I made an affirmation that has brought me both criticism and inquiry, I said: "I do not' believe in fear."

Lest this should be taken as a boastful 1 assertion of my own personal courage and endurance, let us examine it a little closer.

It would be futile and absurd for anj' man or woman to declare tliat tlicy have never known fear. We have ali been afraid at one time or

another. What I had specifically in mind was that haunting fear of the unknown which so many people allow to 1 interfere with, and often ruin, their lives. Fear of to-morrow, fear even of to-day; fear of the "what might happen." Let's Talk Sense This is just lack of trust, not only In the Great Spirit who rules the Universe, but in ourselves —which brings lack of confidence and, invites failure. That sort of fear is rampant among us. There should be no such, thing. It can be' overcome bA r faith, confidence and the exercise of those mental forces which refuse to allow its entry to the mind. But the modern world is dark and dreary; full of terror and pain and bereavement. Are you afraid? Just sit down quietly and read the 23rd Psalm. I' am not offering you conventional, orthodox, sentiomental religion. I don't care whether you go to church or not. I am not, at the moment, concerned whether you accept or reject the Christian gospel. I am offering you this great message from a book Avhich, whatever else it may be, is the greatest book ever written on the science of life.

You are what is called an "Unbeliever"? Very well. You believe in something. You believe in some great force back of the Universe. Even the ignorant savage in Central Africa, Avhom enlightened Christendom calls a heathen, believes in that. If you don't, you arc hopeless, and neither I nor anyone else can do anything for you.

You Can't Afford l Fear

So, leaving aside orthodox religion and affirming my belief in that Destiny which shapes our ends —that unseen, omnipotent Power that is miindfuß of man—l ask you to read the 23rdl Psalm.

You have read it before. No doubt you learned to repeat it, parrotfashion, when you were a child. It is so familiar to you that it has lost all its meaning—if it ever had any for you. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want . . . through tire valley of death I shalll fear no evil . . . thy rodi and! thj r staff, they comfort me." Wonderful ! Yes —but do you believe it? How marvellousi it is if it is true. The power that clothes the lilies in raiment that Solomon in ail his glory could not match, is watching over you. Even modern scicnce cannot produce a lily. It is at times like these that the full) significance of this message comes home to us. Read this wonderful pie.ee of literature over slowly and carefully—and believe it. Tell yourself it is true —not a fairy story I'or the children in Sunday school. It cannot come true for you unless you do believe it.

I tell you that it holds a great and glorious truth that we need to take into our every-day lives. Head it over quietly, think what it means, believe it, and then tell me —are you

afraid? Dare you be afraid? Then read again that Avonderful message Avhich the King parsed on to us in his broadcast to the Kropire:— Bitterness Doesn't Help "I said to the man who stood at tlie Gate of the Years, 'Give me light that I may tread safely into the unknown.' And he replied, 'Go out into the darkness and put j'our hand into t!ie hand of God. That Kit all be better than light and safer than

any known Avay.' ,T Out into the darkness . . . with your hand in the 1 hand 1 of God. the Great Spirit, who, in spite of everything, is mindfuli of us. Have you done sc? And are you

still afraid? Why art thou cast down, oh my soul, and why art .thou discomforted in me? What is it you are afraid of? Death and destruction are abroad in the world. Some of you have lost dear ones. That is terribly hard to bear —and we cannot understand win' it should be. There are lots of things we shall never understand this side of the grave. We can only trust and believe. Without that trust we couldn't go onPlease do not think I am blaming or criticising j*ou if bitterness creeps into your heart. My sympathy goes out to you. 1 only hope I can say something of real help and comfort. But biLterness does not

help. Our boys Avho have passed over have gone to their reward. They have died striking a blow for freer dom, justice, and humanity; they have died for an ideal; given their lives to rid the world of a monstrous evil. Thev have not died in vain.

They Avould not Avish us to mourn unduly. They Avould Avisli us to show the same courage and; heroism in this life as the a* shoAA'ed before left it. Somewhere the}' are marching on in that deathless army of noble spirits which speaks to us through the darkness; and bids us: be, strong and of good courage; Avhich bids us be worthv of them.

We shall meet them again. Shall we let them down by our tears, or shall Ave honour them by letting their heroic sacrifice flame through our beings and urge our wills on to the achievement of the great victory they died to win? Be of good cheer. They shalli not grow old as we Avho arc left grow old; Age shall l not Aveary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun. and in the morning. We Avill remember them. Let us try to remember them Avith praise and thanksgiA'ing—a glorious memory that shall inspire us to nobler things, rather than Avith bitterness based on a feeling of loss.