[amazon_link id=”0875526004″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]
[/amazon_link]I was recently given some books. One of them was [amazon_link id=”0875526004″ target=”_parent” container=”” container_class=”” ]”When people are BIG and God is small” by Edward T Welch[/amazon_link]. The title caught my attention. It starts with an observation: the fear of man is a recurrent problem. The fear of man can take different shapes and names: codependency, peer-pressure, people-pleasing… the author gives a powerful diagnostic of one of our basic problems: we put people higher than we should. He also highlights why we fear others. At the end of the day, the fear of man is a form of idolatry where we put other men above God.
What’s the proper cure for the fear of man? To learn to fear God. We must meditate on God and His character. He is much more powerful and loving than we realize. We must also understand that our basic needs are physiological and spiritual but not psychological. The idea that human beings have also some basic psychological needs is not found in Scripture. For example, it’s not so much that we “need” to be loved. In fact, we want to be loved. There’s a difference between needing something and wanting it. If there’s one thing we need it’s probably to show more love rather than wait to receive more.
It was a helpful read. I realized that many of my decisions and attitudes are often guided by the fear of man, rather than the fear of God. It is a practical book, grounded in Scriptures and with many real life examples. There’s plenty of helpful exercises that will helped me get the most of my reading. If you haven’t read it, get a copy. I am sure you will find it helpful.