If God is Glorious, then you don't have to fear others

When I was a small boy, I loved to knock around with my grandfather on his farm in Northeast Mississippi. There was nothing he did that I didn't want to imitate.  I remember the first time he told me we were going to run some traps. I didn't know what that meant but I was all in. I'll never forget those times nor how vividly they stand out in my mind. One of the traps he used was a snare. A snare is a loop like device, usually strong, thin wire. It is set in a hiding place so that when a mink, or rabbit, or fox comes along, before they know it, they are entrapped or entangled by it. It is pure trickery. The whole point of a snare is that before the animal even knows it, they have walked into the snare and can't escape. They don't know what got them until it is too late.The Bible uses that image to talk about the power and sedulity of being controlled by people. Proverbs says it like this, "The fear of man lays a snare." (Proverbs 29:25) What a metaphor!? The fear of man is not only powerful enough to make most of us run off the rails, but it is so subtle. Often we don't even know we are being controlled by people or that their opinion matters until we are wrapped up in anxiety, fear, or shame.Is it possible to live where people's opinions of us do not control us? Is it possible to learn to say 'no' instead of thinking we have to please people? Is it conceivable that we can be free from embellishing the truth to make ourselves look good? The Bible says there is a way to avoid the "snare" of being controlled by people. This Sunday, we will talk about it.Blessings,Jim