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"Entering Advent with New Eyes”

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The Spiritual Life of Our Emotions: Fear

Our faith does not ask us to leave our emotions at the door. Fear, joy, grief, hope, anger, love; these are not distractions from the spiritual life, but part of it. Throughout Scripture, people encounter God in moments of deep feeling: crying out in fear, rejoicing in gratitude, lamenting loss, and daring to hope again.

Over the coming year, these articles will explore the spiritual life of our emotions, recognizing them as places where God is already at work. Emotions shape how we pray, how we relate to one another, and how we understand ourselves. When we name them honestly, they can become sources of insight, connection, and healing.

Each month, we will focus on a different emotion, not to judge it or rush past it, but to listen for what it reveals. Some emotions are uncomfortable or overwhelming; others feel life-giving and familiar. All of them remind us of our shared humanity and our deep need for grace. As a church community, this is also an invitation: to hold space for one another’s emotions with compassion, to listen without fixing, and to respond with care.

January brings us to fear. At the beginning of a new year, fear often surfaces quietly. The holidays end, routines return, and many of us face uncertainty about what lies ahead; concerns about health, relationships, finances, or the state of the world. Fear can feel isolating, as though it must be carried alone.

Yet Scripture consistently tells a different story. Again and again, God meets people in moments of fear, not by dismissing it, but by drawing near. Fear is not a sign of weak faith; it is often a sign that we are paying attention, that we care deeply, and that we recognize our own vulnerability.

Compassion is one of the ways fear loosens its grip. When fear is met with presence rather than judgment, it becomes bearable. Compassion does not rush to answers or offer easy reassurances. Instead, it listens, stays, and reminds us that we are not alone.

Compassion in moments of fear may look like attentive listening, a steady presence, or gentle encouragement that honors the reality of what someone is facing. It means treating fear with dignity, our own and others’, and trusting that God is present even when the path forward is unclear.

As we begin this new year, may we be a church that meets fear with compassion, uncertainty with presence, and one another with grace. And may this year’s journey through the spiritual life of our emotions help us recognize that God is already at work in all that we carry.

Blessings, Pastor James

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