Book Review: Fearless by Max Lucado

Title: Fearless: Imagine Your Life without Fear
Author: Max Lucado
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, Nashville
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 221
ISBN: 978-0-8499-2139-1
Genre: Non-fiction/Christian living

At one time, I read little non-fiction, at least as far as my private reading went. And I admit, I still love reading fiction. But when I was in high school, I picked up some books by Max Lucado, one of the first non-fiction authors whose work I can remember really liking.

In Fearless, as with his other books, Lucado discusses matters that lie close to our hearts. Sample the particular fears he discusses in this book: the fear of insignificance, failure at parenting, worst-case scenarios, violence, death, and global disaster, among others. Lucado points out that, while fear is natural for us, it can have damaging effects: "Fear never wrote a symphony or poem, negotiated a peace treaty, or cured a disease. Fear never pulled a family out of poverty or a country out of bigotry. Fear never saved a marriage or a business. Courage did that. Faith did that. People who refused to consult or cower to their timidities did that. But fear itself? Fear herds us into a prison and slams the doors" (5).

And Lucado takes this stuff seriously because he thinks Jesus takes it seriously: "The Gospels list some 125 Christ-issued imperatives. Of these, 21 urge us to 'not be afraid' or 'not fear' or 'have courage' or 'take heart' or 'be of good cheer.' The second most common command, to love God and neighbor, appears on only eight occasions. If quantity is any indicator, Jesus takes our fears seriously" (10-11).

In fact, the courage commands of Jesus form the core of Fearless. In each chapter of Fearless, Lucado examines a particular fear and explains how one of the courage commands addresses that fear. Sometimes Lucado encourages us simply by reminding us of the truth. Sometimes he also includes practical hints for dealing with our fears.

For instance, when he discusses our fear of insignificance, he reminds us that every human being matters for one simple reason: God made us. He has a purpose for each human He creates, even if the rest of the world sees us as insignificant or useless. Furthermore, God's purpose for each of His children is a good purpose, so we should have no reason to fear.

In his chapter about worst-case scenarios, Lucado counsels us to put our fears into very specific words and then pray over those fears. And I'd say that his examples hit pretty close to home for a majority of his readers. What if my spouse dies? What if a terrorist takes over my plane? The bank's going to foreclose on my home, and what will happen to my family then? I just got bad news from my doctor, and I'm scared of what's coming (85).

Or how about the fear that God isn't real? Gasp. A Christian pastor and respected author admits that he's struggled with this doubt before? Lucado's honesty is comforting. In this day where physical evidence seems to trump everything, many Christians have these thoughts. What if there really isn't anything else? What if I've based my life on an elaborate scheme? But sometimes the church is a hard place to admit our struggles. The very people who should understand most sometimes fall easily into judgment and condemnation.

Lucado's openness reminds readers that we aren't alone when such fears assault us. He shares practical things he has done to face those fears and encourages his readers to do the same, to dive deep into the Bible and seek the fellowship of other believers.

Lucado appeals to readers across denominations and of different ages, stages of life, and interests. I attribute his appeal to his conversational tone and practical approach to important life matters. He doesn't talk a lot of philosophy or theory, exactly, although Christian doctrine involves both. He just returns again and again to what the Bible says.

During the course of his career, he has written over twenty major books for adults and over thirty for children. (You can also find numerous spin-off books compiled from his major writings.) For three of those adult books, he has earned the prestigious Christian Book of the Year Award.¹ Even so, in Fearless and in his other books, he writes with humility and personal vulnerability. He discloses his own failures and struggles.

Yet he also gives us the good stories. Fearless concludes with an incredible account of a young boy whose parents worked with Pioneer Bible translators in West Africa. Only seven years old, this boy understood that living a fearless life is possible when we remember who God is. As this boy watched his house burn down before his eyes, he prayed with all the eloquence of King David. Read this boy's story, and I think you'll agree that a child-like faith is something we could all use a little more of, for it's the only path that leads to a fearless life.

¹ "FAQ," UpWords: The Teaching Ministry of Max Lucado, http://www.maxlucado.com/faq/ (accessed 8 September 2009).