Fearing God too much?

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Hawkeye916

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How do I take an immense fear of God and judgement and change it into a healthy respect and immense love for Him? My fear of God currently outweighs my love and I deeply want that to change. I had a bit of a struggle today and felt quite unloved by God, only that He waits until I die to punish me for all the evil I’ve committed. My intellect tells me that God is LOVE! In Him is all grace, beauty, goodness, and light!!..But recently all I feel is fear. I know that emotions are fleeing and easily influenced, but I don’t want to feel like this anymore. I plan on attending confession tomorrow and I will probably bring up this topic and see if the priest has any advice, but until then, do y’all have any advice?
 
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God does not punish nor desires to punish. We experience the consequences of our own sins.

“I do not wish the sinner to die; but to turn to me and live.” Was that from Isaiah?
 
I feel you man. Ive been struggling with the same things recently. Trust in God’s Mercy and all will be well.You need to talk to God about your fear in order to avoid falling into despair, which I fell into and it crushed me. For people like us, it is crucial to focus on God’s Mercy. Read St. Faustina and St. Therese. God loves us very much, and wants to heal us. He wants us to come close to Him, and when we die God wants us with Him in Heaven. He certainly doesnt want Hell, and doesnt even want us to go to Purgatory. If we do the Will of God in all things, everything will be just fine, even if it doesnt seem like it.
 
Fear of God doesn’t mean to be afraid of him - it’s more about respecting, acknowledging that He is God, and obeying Him because He is God. https://www.catholic.com/qa/fear-of-the-lord
Search Fear of the Lord on Catholic Answers and you’ll find many excellent articles.
 
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Not a doctor. Do not even play one on TV. However, I have fairly extensive dealings with those who suffer from various levels of anxiety. Sounds like it to me. If you are anxious, you are far from alone. It is estimated by those in the know that 1 in 5 today suffer from some level of anxiety disorder. That is 64 million in the US. Every 5th person you encounter likely has some anxiety - and perhaps more important, every 5th person they encounter does.

As a practical matter, I must ask if God is negligent? I mean, you are still alive and reasonably well, even though your sins (like mine) should have transported us to a much warmer climate, if you catch my drift. Yet, here we are. So, God is merciful. He knows what you are made of and how you think. But - He also created both the doctor and pharmacist to help when one suffers. Read Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) Chapter 38.

Speak with Father, and if appropriate, speak with doctor. There is a solution to your dilemma and it is probably far easier than you think.
 
Okay, really important question. You are describing struggling with feelings, but how are you acting? Are you choosing to act like someone who loves God and wants to uphold His commandments or someone who fears Him and wants to hide your face from Him?

Love seems like it should be a feeling but it is an act of will. And given that you are already planning on going to confession and talking with a priest, it sounds like it is an act of will that you are already making. So no matter what you are feeling right now, by your actions you are saying that your love of God does outweigh your fear.
 
Spend more time with the writings of St. Therese and St. Faustina on God’s love and mercy.

Hawkeye, I’m assuming you don’t suffer from scrupulosity as you haven’t been a scrupulous poster in the past. So scruples aren’t the issue.

Do you include God in your day? Do you talk to him? Hang out with him? Invite him to eat pizza with you? Do you ever think of Jesus as being your friend like you’re an Apostle and he’s the cool, smart teacher? When you have this kind of daily/ hourly relationship with God, it’s hard to see him as a harsh judge, and one is more likely to see him as a loving father, who might be a little strict sometimes but it’s for our own good.

I got a copy of this Jesuit book regarding friendship with God a couple years ago from a church that was handing them out. I got about halfway through it and realized I was probably not the target audience as it was presenting the idea of “Friendship with God” like it was some new concept, and it seemed very obvious to me. Friendship with God is the only way I get through the day most days for years now. But it might be helpful to you if you’re seeing God as this scary judge.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001T4YTNA/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
 
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Hawkeye916 said:
do y’all have any advice?
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Think about Jesus. When he walked on the earth, did he go around judging, condemning, and punishing people? No! He loved, forgave, healed, and saved them. That’s what he came for.

If you met Jesus on the street today, what would you experience and feel?
 
Bless the LORD, my soul;
all my being, bless his holy name!
2Bless the LORD, my soul;
and do not forget all his gifts,
3Who pardons all your sins,
and heals all your ills,
4Who redeems your life from the pit,
and crowns you with mercy and compassion,
5Who fills your days with good things,
so your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6The Lord does righteous deeds,
brings justice to all the oppressed.
7He made known his ways to Moses,
to the Israelites his deeds.
8Merciful and gracious is the Lord,
slow to anger, abounding in mercy.
9He will not always accuse,
and nurses no lasting anger;
10He has not dealt with us as our sins merit,
nor requited us as our wrongs deserve.
so his mercy towers over those who fear him.
12As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our sins from us.
13As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
14For he knows how we are formed,
remembers that we are dust.
15As for man, his days are like the grass;
he blossoms like a flower in the field.
A wind sweeps over it and it is gone;
its place knows it no more.
17But the Lord’s mercy is from age to age,
toward those who fear him.
His salvation is for the children’s children
18of those who keep his covenant,
and remember to carry out his precepts.
 
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