This week, Christians continue joyously celebrating the risen Jesus, following Easter Sunday. As we ride the wave of resurrection victory, a detail from the four Gospel accounts caught my attention: fear. I had entertained the idea of writing about fear as part 3 of my living in North Carolina blog series. When fear showed up in the Biblical Easter story, I took the divine hint!
Why would I write about fear in a new-to-North Carolina piece? We do live in an area commonly referred to as the Cape Fear region, named so for the Cape Fear River. But I was not thinking about the river. I had in mind how old fears from Virginia transferred to new fears in North Carolina. In Virginia, I feared bats and ticks. Bats often darted over our heads as my husband and I took evening walks on our street. Bats are scary creatures, but what I was really afraid of was rabies: bats are the main carrier of rabies, when humans are infected. Human infection is rare, and usually people know when they get an animal bite … except when it comes to bat bites. I did not like that! Ticks? Yes, the prevalent deer tick. They carry Lyme disease, which can be a long-term, debilitating condition, difficult to diagnose and treat. I knew folks in Virginia who had it.
Of course, here in North Carolina we have bats and ticks (and deer), but I do not see bats on our walks, and I have not heard of any Lyme disease cases here. So, I’m fine now? No, I have found new things to be afraid of: alligators and Brown Recluse spiders! Hurricanes are worth being fearful of too, but there is a fair amount of warning time to make plans. Alligators and Brown Recluse spiders are hard to spot; victims are caught by surprise. And yes, I am aware of an alligator incident and a serious spider bite. Though my worries are relatively silly, they linger, along with other deeper trepidations. If I moved somewhere else, I am fairly sure my mind would find other things to fear. But let’s look at authentic fear.
In the resurrection narrative, folks faced real fear. The tomb guards were ‘scared stiff’ (Matthew 28 v 4). The women at the tomb “trembled” in bewilderment and fled in fear (Mark 16 v 8). Luke describes the women as having “fright” (Luke 24 v 3) and the disciples were also described as “startled and frightened” (Luke 24 v 37). John says the disciples hid in fear (John 20 v 19). What scared them? The scene of the empty tomb certainly shocked them. Just two days earlier they had witnessed the gruesome crucifixion of Christ and knew He was dead. After waiting out the Saturday Sabbath, they arrived at His burial site Sunday morning hoping to perform ministrations. The missing body stumped them in a terrifying way and they feared for their own lives too, as close followers of Jesus.
But the message on Easter morning was Good News! The angel at the empty tomb proclaimed, “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 28 v 5). Jesus appeared shortly after repeating, “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 28 v 10). Put similarly in other appearances to the disciples, Jesus greeted with the words, “Peace be with you” (Luke 24 v 36 and John 20 v 26). Jesus’ return to life, His triumph over death, which was His triumph over sin on our behalf, is spectacular and terrifying. It was unfathomable, to the point of pure fright, for those who first discovered it. For us today, a holy awe of fear for His selfless sacrifice and for the amazing spectacle of His Resurrection is our right response too.
“… we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10 v 10
FOOTNOTE – In my inbox this morning, after finishing this draft last night, I received a devotional titled, “Peace Be with You.” Based on the same Bible passages, it delves deeper into fear issues. Here is the link https://seedbed.com/peace-be-with-you-jesus-reveals-himself-to-the-disciples/
Part 2 U-Turns in North Carolina
After living my entire adult life in the DC area, I knew learning the layout of a new town would be a challenge. From the outset, I prepared myself for needing maps, GPS, and Google to find my way around. I purposed to be patient and willing to stop and restart as I drove to many new destinations. Even now, more than two years in, I often rely on navigation to get where I’m going. God has specifically protected me in a couple of dangerous mistakes, but most of the time I have navigated safe U-turns, arriving at the right place, my car and I intact.
U-turns are actually required driving in North Carolina. The road system blocks certain turns, instead redirecting drivers to designated intersections, widened for official U-turns. Sometimes there’s a stoplight for the U-turn, but sometimes it’s only a yield, which doesn’t seem any safer to me than a yielded left turn. Official or unscheduled, U-turns feature regularly in my driving experience here in North Carolina.
My long-time pastor liked to say, “God allows U-turns.” He was not preaching about driving; he meant choices on the road of life. Sometimes with intention, but often unknowingly, people find themselves going in the wrong direction. One can look up and realize the road ahead leads to a dead-end or to destruction. As long as one lives, no matter where one is or what’s going on, there is the opportunity to choose God and follow His direction. He charts a just-right course for everyone turning to faith in Jesus.
One of the most profound U-turn stories, literally of Biblical proportions, is the life of the apostle Paul. On a road trip to round up followers of Jesus for imprisonment or worse, he was struck by a blinding light and heard the audible voice of Jesus. That call redirected Paul’s future. For the rest of his life, Paul traveled the known world, missionary-style, preaching the gospel and writing much of the New Testament as prompted by the Spirit. The account of Paul’s U-turn is found in Acts 9 v 1-19 and is repeated in Acts 22 and Acts 26. And how did Paul summarize his conversion? “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3 v 8) A priceless route correction!
Part 1 North Carolina Now
Two years ago this week, we moved into our new home near Wilmington, North Carolina. We left the DC area in the fall of 2020, but lived in temporary housing for several months, while we oversaw the building of our house. It was the height of the pandemic and we also lost my mother-in-law during this time. So I like to think of March as our real move anniversary.
Wilmington is a small, port city located on the Cape Fear River. UNC Wilmington is a major university, and the film industry is a presence in the area. Our town is on the outskirts of Wilmington. It has less city influence and a more rural southern personality. Farming and fishing were once the main businesses. While things are quickly changing here, the homey ways intrigue me.
Just down the street from us on the main highway of our town is a pawn shop. I see bikes, lawn equipment and surf boards propped up for sale in front of the store. I ventured into the store because I noticed a sign for jewelry repair. Sure enough, past the case of pawned jewelry and watches, and the inventory of sports equipment and power tools, I turned the corner through the guns and ammunition section, to find the small work space of a jeweler.
The jeweler wears a large leather cowboy hat and decorates his niche with neon-lit western motifs. His space is neat, and he is soft spoken, especially when you consider he’s from Long Island. He assessed my broken chain and gave me an estimate. I left it for repair and in a few hours got a text from him with a photo of my necklace draped on a lovely velvet model, saying, “Here she is!” The idea that my necklace was repaired by a New Yorker in a cowboy hat who works in a pawn shop where they sell guns and ammo amuses me.
Just a few buildings down the highway from the pawn shop is a paint store. We were sent there by our builder to select the interior colors for our house. “Go talk to Jimmy, ” we were told. Jimmy and his business partner, who both sport gray ponytails, run a no-fuss paint supply store. Without fanfare, they carry all the paint brands in all the colors. A gentle cat keeps them company and one of them drives a vintage truck always parked out in front. Neither of the guys ever wore a mask during the mandate period.
There’s also a warehouse fish market off the highway strip where I occasionally shop. The place is wet and stinky but I think I get fairly fresh catches there, though I’ve never tried the alligator. They fly the American flag on the porch, carry homemade birdhouses and advertise bushels of crabs for Mother’s Day. Young kids, probably relatives of the owner, run the counter. In deep southern twangs they can advise you on flavor and cooking methods.
This culture is new for me; so different from the cosmopolitan suburban area we left. I enjoy the downhome feel of the unincorporated town where we now live. It is appealingly unpretentious. That’s how I find the true local people too: down-to-earth, authentic, likeable. Don’t get me wrong, there are also many conveniences and amenities that I miss greatly now! But as I said, the area is changing quickly due to rapid growth and many outsiders who, like us, are moving in. I hope in our time here, it doesn’t completely lose its southern, country soul.
At the two year mark, my husband and I marvel that we are here, that we transitioned away from DC during such a crazy time. We are confident this is the new place for us now and thank God for His good provision. Like the Psalmist David wrote, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.” (Psalm 16 v 6). Read all of Psalm 16 for insights into God’s goodness in this life and in eternity.
