The distinction could seem paradoxical when we know that the word fear in English which can also be synonymous of "crainte" in French is a feeling of vulnerability which can lead humans to withdraw into themselves, to be afraid to speak out or to get closer to God, exercise caution so as not to do something wrong or obtain a result that does not suit us, or better yet brave our fears with the firm will to show that we have the ability to be courageous and break all obstacles of daily life to fully enjoy a freedom to which we are all called without discrimination but which still has limits.
While visiting a friend's house, a Men noticed that when the children were with their Mother, they ran everywhere. But as soon as the Father entered the house, everything was completely calm. For what? At first glance, one might say that they are afraid of their father, but this is not always the case. It's more because they know that their father is less tolerant of loud noises than their mother. Earlier and in another context, a teacher informed his students who said that he is wicked because he is always ready to hit them that this was not the case but that he was rather severe. He made the difference between nastiness and severity to promote his profession as a teacher, noble and very useful to society even if he does not have a good salary. By defining his severity as a way for him not to tolerate disorder, laziness and lack of respect, he demonstrated that nastiness is a character which not only does not promote good learning, but which by an adjective before noun in English refers to those who are not happy of others success.
We specify that: in both cases, no sign of abuse was ever noted. The woman never complained that her husband was aggressive and violent, and she, her children and her husband lived in harmony. Likewise, no parents complained about the teacher's bad behaviour. His severity, which he had taken care to define to avoid confusion, allowed his students to better understand who he is and he even had the approval of his superior to continue to act with the same firmness and rigor.
Unlike them, a violent and mean person is scary. She only seeks to do evil for evil's sake. In other words, doing evil gratuitously; that is to say, without valid reasons. The simple fact that the other be annoys him. The fact that he is happy is torture. He must suffer and live in fear. The evil person is always ready to use any means necessary to harm others and even tarnish their image.
Fear as a sign of respect
We have taken these examples based on real and not fictitious facts to show that when we do not really know a person we will always tend to be afraid of him or her by limiting ourselves to the first degree of he or she personality which does not have absolutely nothing to do with what he or she really is. As long as somebody does not clearly say who he or she is, or when we do not clearly seek to know who they are using correct means, we will always stick labels to them that do not correspond with what they actually are. And when we don't know someone we're afraid of what they could do to us; but when we know this person, we are not afraid and we do everything to not hurting him or her.
This doesn't mean that when you don't know the person you can afford to hurt him or her. Indeed, whether you know the person or not, you must respect him or her because he or she is a human being. It is the special relationship we have with him or her that will make the difference. If you know her as a bad person, you must love her as a bad person. If you know her as a good person that's even better because that will always result in respect and fear in the sense of not wanting to hurt her not because we don't want her to hurt us, but because not only do we know her as a good person, but we also owe her respect which we also have the duty to show towards our enemies but in a more particular way. Love is therefore not afraid. And this love which is not afraid and which does not seek to frighten is a mark of respect which demands the same from the other.
Obviously this is not about accepting acts of mistreatment. It’s about asking ourselves if everything we experience and undergo contributes to our well-being. In other words, is the harm that others do to me really proof of love? By giving me the way out of this situation that I consider “bad” or “unfortunate,” is God not giving me the way to experience his true love?
The Gift of the Fear of God
During the years of the exodus, God allowed the Israelites to get to know him better. If today, as the apostle Saint Paul tells us, we are no longer under the law but under grace, it is precisely because from the day of Abraham's call until birth, suffering, the death and Resurrection of Christ for those who want to believe in it, God has always wanted to help his creatures know him better.
If the teacher of the law says based on the holy scriptures : “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind ; and Love your neighbour as you love yourself” as the Gospel according to Saint Luke particularly tells us ( Luke 10, 27-The Good News Bible With Deuterocanonical Books), it is because this is what God already wanted to make known to his children when he gave them his commandments during the exodus. In fact, if you don't want one of your teeth removed, don't illegally remove your brother's teeth. The message has therefore not changed. It has always been love and it remains love because God never wanted to make Men suffer or make Men fear him but rather to prove to Men that even if he suffers and whatever the reasons, he will always have proof that God is with him.
Also read : The cruelty of Men in the face of the hope of the children of God
Those who died after breaking the law were under the influence of the law when God did not want it to be that way but rather for them to have the fear of God which is a gift of God's love for Men. God gives His commandments to Men’s because He loves them. He has a greater experience of life than Us because He is life. If He tells us not to do this or that it is because He knows that if we do the opposite something bad could happen. Since it is a gift that arises from the experiences of God's love in the life of each Men, the fear of God allows God's children to have a personal relationship with Him which will allow them not to be afraid of Him and even less of the wickedness of Men in all humility but to put their trust in Him despite everything because He is God. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you” (Isaiah 43, 2 – New American Standard Bible 1977)
The gift of the fear of God has nothing to do with pretending to believe that we can afford to do everything. God's children are capable of anything because God wants it. The gift of the fear of God goes hand in hand with humility. I have to be careful what I do because even though I am a god by the grace of God, only God is God. And the apostle Saint Luke lets us know by telling us the experience of a man: "Sir, if you to, you can make me clean." [And Jesus answered:] "I do want to, be clean" (Luke 5, 12-13. The Good News Bible With Deuterocanonical Books)
The one who gives sincerely loves those to whom He shows this gesture. And when He gives he does it freely, that is to say, without unhealthy ulterior motives. He is peaceful and benevolent in everything He does. He gives freely and forever because He wants us to love and fear Him in return by worshiping His holy Name and praising Him for the blessings He has done in our lives. The gift of the fear of God allows us to respect other religions as well as institutions even if some of them tend in places to reign through terror. It allows us to recognize that we are nothing and that God is everything and even if socially we are someone important, it is a gift from God which implies quality service. He who has the gift of the fear of God does not fear God; he knows that he is in the presence of his friend, his brother, his sister, his father. He is with a person he knows or is getting to know and who has already shown him and will always show him in many ways that He is God and that He can do anything.
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