I went to college at a small, conservative school. My dad wanted me there because it was supposedly 100 miles from any known sin.

Part of the process for freshmen was Rat Week. Each freshman was assigned to a rat-daddy, a sophomore, and the freshman had to do everything he said the first semester. It was a horrible experience. My particular rat-daddy told me there was only one way to get out of this torture. I had to steal the rat hat off the biggest freshman and give it to him. The biggest freshman was Big John, six foot-six inches, and 260 pounds. I managed to get his hat, and as I ran I could hear him screaming.

But Big John didn’t know who had stolen his hat. My roommate said, “I hope he never finds out.” I said, “Well, how will he ever find out? Only you and I know.” Then I started to worry. My roommate never told him, but the whole year it seemed as if Big John was everywhere I went. I kept looking over my shoulder for him and wondering if he knew, and, if he did, what he might do to me. He made my life miserable, and he didn’t even know it. Fear affects your behavior and your relationships. About 10 years ago, someone who had also gone to my school told me that Big John had died. I felt relieved. Now that’s unhealthy.

Unhealthy reactions to fear usually lead to escapism and exaggeration. Escapism is when you are trying to get out of a situation. It’s like the old mountaineer who came home one day with his clothes torn and shoes worn, looking totally exhausted. He had been gone for over a week. His wife said, “Where in tar nation have you been?” He said, “Well, I went out to check on the cows, and all of a sudden this giant bear jumped out, and I ran like crazy until I finally lost the bear. I’ve never run faster in my whole life.” His wife replied, “You’ve been gone for a week. Where have you been since then?” He said, “I was walking back.” That’s escapism.

Exaggeration is when you blow fear out of proportion. It’s like the guy who says the only way he got away from a bear was by his quick thinking. He was out picking blackberries when the bear began to chase him. He ran, but periodically he dropped a few berries for the bear to eat, and then he would get ahead. Eventually the bear would catch up, and he would repeat the process. Then he saw a frozen lake, and he ran out on the frozen ice. When the bear chased him, the bear’s weight caused him to fall in and drown. The man’s friend who was listening to the story said, “That’s impossible. You cannot pick blackberries and be on a frozen lake at the same time of the year.” The man said, “It did happen. The bear chased me from July to January.” That’s exaggeration.

Now that you have the “bear” facts about escapism and exaggeration, let me tell you that you also don’t need a rabbit’s foot — because it didn’t do the rabbit much good either. What you need to do is face your fears. When you face your fears, you generate energy. Facing fear turns fear into fuel for your faith so you can act in a constructive way.

The story is told about a football game in which Coach Bear Bryant was trying to hold on to a 1-point lead. With two minutes to play, he called on his small but slow fourth-string quarterback. Bryant instructed him to run the ball up the middle and then punt. The new quarterback stunned the opposition with several first-down runs. Deep in his opponent’s territory, temptation overcame instruction. He had never had an opportunity to throw a touchdown pass, so, disregarding his coach, he threw the ball. The opposing safety intercepted the pass and broke into the clear. The sluggish quarterback struggled to his feet, started chasing the safety, who happened to be the fastest man on the field, and tackled him before he crossed the goal line. The gun sounded, ending the game. When the two coaches met at midfield, Bryant’s competitor shook his head in disbelief. “How could a fourth-string quarterback catch my fastest safety?” he asked. “That’s easy,” Bryant responded. “Your man was running for a touchdown. My man was running for his life.”

F.E.A.R. — Face, Energize, Act, and Realize. Fear energizes and pumps adrenaline, allowing us to do what we could not otherwise do. Facing our fears causes us to act. Then we realize our fear is fuel for faith, and we run for the life that God created for us.