What does my physiology have to do with the message of the Bible?
I learned recently that anticipation often carries with it a specific physiological response. Our pupils dilate, our heart rate increases, our muscles tighten, and our senses are heightened. (Maybe that’s why I’m so tuned in to the sights and sounds the Christmas season). But here’s the really peculiar thing- when we are afraid, our body responds in the exact same way: our pupils dilate, our heart rate increases, our muscles tighten, and our senses are heightened. For our physical bodies, there is no difference between looking towards the future with hope or looking towards the future with fear. Perhaps this is why, for the longest time, I would mistakenly say things like, “I’m anxious for the show to begin” when what I really meant was, “I’m excited for the show to begin.”
It's interesting to learn this little physiological detail and then to consider the message of the Bible. Because the most common phrase in all of scripture is “Do not be afraid.” In fact, this particular phrase appears 365 times in our Bibles, once for each day of the year. It’s as if God is telling us every day to face the future with hope rather than fear. It’s all just a decision in the end. As I mentioned, our physical bodies don’t know the difference between anticipation and anxiety, and so that means that the difference between fear and hope is often all just in our heads.
And to all this God says, “Do not be afraid.” We can face the future with confidence and hope because we believe that there is a God who walks with us. We believe that there is a God who has a plan for our world and our life and that plan is NOT one of fear, but one of love, and life, and hope. As the Christmas Carol, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" famously says, "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
I learned recently that anticipation often carries with it a specific physiological response. Our pupils dilate, our heart rate increases, our muscles tighten, and our senses are heightened. (Maybe that’s why I’m so tuned in to the sights and sounds the Christmas season). But here’s the really peculiar thing- when we are afraid, our body responds in the exact same way: our pupils dilate, our heart rate increases, our muscles tighten, and our senses are heightened. For our physical bodies, there is no difference between looking towards the future with hope or looking towards the future with fear. Perhaps this is why, for the longest time, I would mistakenly say things like, “I’m anxious for the show to begin” when what I really meant was, “I’m excited for the show to begin.”
It's interesting to learn this little physiological detail and then to consider the message of the Bible. Because the most common phrase in all of scripture is “Do not be afraid.” In fact, this particular phrase appears 365 times in our Bibles, once for each day of the year. It’s as if God is telling us every day to face the future with hope rather than fear. It’s all just a decision in the end. As I mentioned, our physical bodies don’t know the difference between anticipation and anxiety, and so that means that the difference between fear and hope is often all just in our heads.
And to all this God says, “Do not be afraid.” We can face the future with confidence and hope because we believe that there is a God who walks with us. We believe that there is a God who has a plan for our world and our life and that plan is NOT one of fear, but one of love, and life, and hope. As the Christmas Carol, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" famously says, "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
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