Melissa talks with us about fear
Hi everyone. Welcome to 40 minutes of faith. We hope this will be a meaningful Bible study time of faith for you. Today's guest speaker is Melissa Salminen. I met Melissa last year at Wartburg theological seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. Melissa will be a second year student this fall.
She was raised in the Lutheran church and has been a member of Trinity Lutheran church, which is part of the LCA, her entire life. Melissa has attended other congregations while in college. And while she worked as a teacher for 13 years after she married in 2015, Melissa moved back to her hometown area, which is in the upper peninsula of Michigan.
Melissa, does this mean that you're a Yooper? Melissa: Yes.
Barbara: And I mean that as a compliment, not as an insult, hopefully everybody else does too. Today's primary Bible passage comes from the book of Joel, which is a smaller book near the middle of your Bible. If he would like to read a Bible passage with me, you're welcome to have a Bible nearby or on your device, but you don't need to. You can also have a notebook handy for doodling drawing or jotting down questions.
Joel is in the group of minor prophets between the book of Daniel and the new Testament. You are welcome to read with us out of chapter two, or just listen along. I'm going to read from the message version, Joel, chapter two, verses 21 to 27.
Joel 2:21-27 The Message (MSG)
21-24 Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate!
God has done great things.
Fear not, wild animals!
The fields and meadows are greening up.
The trees are bearing fruit again:
a bumper crop of fig trees and vines!
Children of Zion, celebrate!
Be glad in your God.
He’s giving you a teacher
to train you how to live right—
Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words
to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do.
And plenty of food for your body—silos full of grain,
casks of wine and barrels of olive oil.
25-27 “I’ll make up for the years of the locust,
the great locust devastation—
Locusts savage, locusts deadly,
fierce locusts, locusts of doom,
That great locust invasion
I sent your way.
You’ll eat your fill of good food.
You’ll be full of praises to your God,
The God who has set you back on your heels in wonder.
Never again will my people be despised.
You’ll know without question
that I’m in the thick of life with Israel,
That I’m your God, yes, your God,
the one and only real God.
Never again will my people be despised.
Let's start off with a prayer. Dear God, thank you for this opportunity to study your word together and to share your love with the world. We come to you knowing that there is agony in the world and there are blessings, and we pray that we can share your love with everyone in Jesus name. Amen.
Melissa: Amen.
Barbara: So Melissa, I noticed a few themes in this passage and we'll be talking about things like fear, rejoicing, nature, rain, and blessings after hardships.
Perfect. Melissa, I'm wondering if you ever noticed do city people and country people see rain in different ways.
Melissa: yes, I grew up in the country. So when. We see rain coming it's because it's something that's needed and nourished. But when I lived in the city, oftentimes it was seen as a deterrent because everything is outside and they don't need that as much.
Barbara: I noticed the same thing when I read this passage because I feel bad that sometimes I think of rain as an inconvenience, but it's not.
Melissa: Definitely. It reminds me of that country song. Rain is a good thing. Um, being a country girl. So
Barbara: yeah, I'm always open to welcoming people from all kinds of different backgrounds, city, people, country people, and not to put anybody in a box, but just to honor that we all have different experiences with all of these things in the
Melissa: passage.
Most definitely. It's interesting. How interpretations go when you read things based on your backgrounds.
Barbara: Exactly. Now in the book of Hosea, which is right before Joel, and up until this passage, there's a lot of judgment. In our Lutheran tradition there's a concept known as law and gospel. We are called to ask for forgiveness for what we do wrong, knowing that there is good news in Jesus.
This is an example of the consolation that happens when we do wrong. We realize our wrongdoing and God provides. It's also important for me to say right at the beginning, that this is related to another important Lutheran understanding where we cannot earn our way into heaven through our behavior.
Salvation is a free gift. We obey God and serve our neighbors out of love. Not to earn points with God. I wanted to start with where this passage begins with “Do not fear”. It seems to me that there may be things to be legitimately afraid of. And I also wonder if sometimes we are fearful when it doesn't help anything.
So I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. Are there ways to release our grip on fear? We may feel like we're in fear’s grip, but sometimes we're holding onto familiar fear.
Melissa: I think we do hold onto the fear. I've found that that fear is kind of comforting, because we know it, it's something we can expect.
We can expect to be afraid of something. And the releasing of it is hard because when you release it, You're going into another unknown. You don't know what's going to happen. So it's a different kind of fear- it's kind of a cycle, but what I found in the best way to deal with it is to own it, to acknowledge it, to say, yes, I am fearful of this, but because I can own it, I can acknowledge it.
I can name it. I can then move forward and I can move on to the next thing, because I say here it is, this is what it is. And now let's see where we can go from there. Living in fear is something that's easy for us to do because it's familiar. We're always afraid of something. We're afraid of success.
We're afraid of failure. We fear what's to come, but if we own it, we can move forward.
Barbara: Thanks so much, Melissa. And I really want to honor that there are vast different experiences of fear in our world. And I want to acknowledge my own guilty feelings about my white privilege.
That the things I'm afraid of are not the same, that perhaps some of our fellow human beings who have darker skin are absolutely legitimately afraid of. So I don't mean to minimize anyone's fear. That could be very real in their lives, especially in the world today. But I'm more talking about, does fear serve us in our souls and are there ways that we can cope with it?
Melissa: I agree that this time that we're living in, I think is bringing to light a lot of fears and naming a lot of things for everyone especially for our brothers and sisters of color that it's becoming known and acknowledged and it's time to work for a better place.
Barbara: absolutely. That's why we're here. I'm wondering, Melissa, have you ever noticed a time when you experienced a blessing after a time of fear?
Melissa: the most recent one was the loss of my mom - she was my best friend. You know, the one I went to, I called her two or three times a day. We would talk on the phone after I moved back to my hometown, we visited almost every day in person, worship every Sunday together. almost all those fears of losing her and losing what that identity was and, was definitely there. And I didn't know what we would do.
Barbara: Yes
Melissa: through a lot of prayer and through a strength that I can only say came from God, we got through it. And I was able to find the strength to, to get through that and be the source of stability and strength that my family needed at the time. And from that loss, there's been so many little blessings that have come from it from, you know, moving through and moving on.
And the other one that really sticks out what I moved away to college, I live in the upper peninsula, which is a very, very small town and I decided to go to college. thankfully I was privileged enough to be able to choose where I went to college.
and I decided to go to a small college that is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, right. Between. Milwaukee and Chicago. So I'm moving from a town of 7,000 into the middle of two huge cities. And I did not know a soul when I went down there, but we went to visit in orientation week in March. I met my roommate and that was the only person I knew.
And our mothers got along better than we did that weekend. So it was, it was fearful, but I would not change that experience for the world.
Barbara: Great. It sounds like you ended up with a really positive college experience.
Melissa: It was, and the friendships that I have from my time there and the direction that my wife has gone since then has only been blessed by conquering that fear and going away.
Barbara: So you could have stayed home, which I also want to honor people who stay home either by choice or because they feel that they're obligated to stay home. You kind of went on an adventure, farther away from your home and it ended up being beneficial, even though you were scared at the beginning, but did you feel like you sort of pushed yourself a little bit, you were stretching yourself intentionally to try this new experience.
Melissa: I did. And, Barbara actually I have, both experiences because I did go away to school for two and a half years, which was wonderful. but it also was too expensive for my family too, to be able to afford, and for me, but the number of student loans and things like that that were coming, That I was ending up having to take out and things like that.
So I needed to move back home and go to the local college here, which at the time, was extremely disappointing. I was mad at my family. I was mad at the world because I thought I was supposed to be at this school with these friends that I had made. And. So I came back and I did, have a wonderful experience, at the local school.
Not the experience that I had going away. but that has a lot to do with a lot of background, in my life. and a lot of personal issues with, that, which I know everybody has personal issues, but. It's interesting how, even when we have those times, we can find blessing and sometimes it's harder to see at the time, but looking back at it, you can, you can see those.
So it's, it's having faith and that's the, the easiest thing to say is to have faith, but it's also the hardest thing to do is to live into that faith.
Barbara: Thank you for sharing those experiences with us. Another theme in this passage is nature. Melissa, are there times when our lives have felt like dry soil or wilderness?
Melissa: yes. for me, in particular, I will. harken back to taking what my mom's passing, when my mom was on hospice care for about two and a half months before she passed away, which in terms of suffering, I know it's not a long time. I know there's many who have been on, been through the hospice experience for much longer than that. But when we, did do this, I was in the midst of a job search.
I was in the middle of a career change and trying to find jobs and actually the day before my mother went into the hospital. The last time I had a job interview and I was torn with what if I was offered this job and what if I wasn't, it turned out. I was not offered the job, which turned out to be a blessing, but after my mom passed away, I had no job.
I had no way I had nothing to fill my time. I had my little girl thank goodness, for her and the blessing that she is. But my purpose in life was gone because I was the caretaker. I was the one and after her funeral and after the estate, All of that. All of a sudden, about a month after she passed, I had nothing.
I had no purpose, nowhere to go. And that's hard when you don't know what you're supposed to do. And, and then little things creep up on you and our pastor had mentioned, did you hear that? Or not. Did you hear? She said, the seminary I graduated from is offering. Free tuition for students
my call again, as being a possibility. So we do have, dry soil or wilderness times, you know, the times of not being sure. But at those times, that's when we're waiting, we're waiting for the next thing we're waiting for that shower. That's going to come. Those blessings that are going to come it's difficult.
And it's hard to maybe see at the time, but sometimes the smallest little thing that is said or shown, or you saw, or you dreamt could be where you need to go next and where the next blessing can come from.
Barbara: That's an amazing story, Melissa. And I want to offer my condolences that your mom passed away when you had such a wonderful, close relationship with her. thank you for sharing that story with us, that it sounds like a topsy turvy time grieving and wondering, and then a new opportunity came at what seems like the right time.
Melissa: Yes. it was Interesting because I was feeling in this area of despair and loss and depression, and it was about four months after my mom had passed away.
When, by pastor had mentioned this idea of scholarships and I went home did a little looking and searching to see what. this was all about, and if it was possible and I talked to my husband a little bit and he kind of blew me off a little bit, and I was sitting there and he goes, you look really peaceful.
And I did, because I knew this is what had to happen. And then the panic of how was it going to happen, said it, but the peace was there, And it's not always something huge, like, changing careers or deciding to go off and commit four years to seminary in your life. serving a church, it could be anything. We all have little blessings that we can, latch onto for that hope.
Barbara: I suspect it's an unusual experience that someone will say, Hey, here's four years of free tuition. So that is just fantastic.
Melissa: It's wonderful that the seminaries are able to help as much as they can. Now, granted not everybody gets the full tuition thing. but it is nice and it was a long journey in finding, My place at Wartburg, but that definitely is where I need to be.
Barbara: Great. we have a future podcast episode on the theme of waiting coming up. I'm wondering, Melissa is if it's realistic to wish for a lifetime of abundance without any dry seasons?
Melissa: I wonder if we would be able to tell the difference if we didn't have a dry season.
Hmm. would we be able to find joy if we didn't have sadness, would we appreciate and understand the difference if we didn't have the abundance and the dry, if we didn't have those difficult times to be thankful and joyful and revel in those good times.
Barbara: As much as I would like to think that being happy all the time would be nice. I know that that's not realistic and that's not part of our faith journey. So I'd like to just read one verse out of two different versions. In first, Peter chapter four, verse 12 in the NRSV, which is our school, Bible translation.
It says beloved. Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you as though something strange were happening to you. And in the message that same verse is friends. When life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. I'd love to hear your take on this, Melissa.
Melissa: What it means to me is that I shouldn't expect my life to be perfect and smooth, even though I feel like I have so many blessings in my life, but that it's normal. And
Barbara: to be expected, one of the Lutheran beliefs is that everyone is a saint and a sinner, but we live in a world with sin. And so that means things aren't going to be perfect.
Melissa: I would have to totally agree with that. In second Corinthians 1, Paul talks about being thankful for those issues, those afflictions that we go through and that if we didn't go through those, we wouldn't have the opportunities to rely on God, who is there to, to rescue us. He rescued Paul from what he was going through, but he's also there for us. If we lean on him, not that our lives would be peachy-keen. Perfect. But that we have someone, some things to lean on and to trust in and to hope in.
Barbara: Thank you. I've just opened up second Corinthians chapter one, verse four:
God consoles us in all our afflictions so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction. Is that what you had in mind?
Melissa: Yeah, that's section verses three through 11 is Paul's thankfulness for affliction and he went through trials. His life was not easy, and the trials that he went through, but in relying on God, he got through them. Was his life perfect? No. We have the hope and I think that's what we need to cling to, because we may not get the results we pray for. We may not get the results we hope for. Because we live in a world, unfortunately, that is full of sin. And like you said, we are sinners and saints. We are always both. We never will be perfect, but we can rest in the hope that through God's grace, we. Are loved and are supported and will have that eternal life. Not that we'll have a perfect life, but that we'll have life.
Barbara: Yes. And again, wanting to just lift up in prayer, my broken heart, over people who are just murdered for no sense at all, we offer hope knowing that sometimes lives are extinguished too early and that's unfair. And. Hopefully in every podcast episode, we can talk about how we can advocate for each other.
So by all means praying for ourselves, praying for the world. And then sometimes there's times when we are called to action and there will be ongoing podcast episodes about advocacy and loving our neighbor and standing up for our siblings as well. But thank you for saying that.
Barbara: I have a question about appearances for you, Melissa. Do other people's lives appear to be abundant all the time? Do we know if this is really the case or does it just look that way?
Melissa: Another thing we're dealing with right now is this time of pandemic. And the fact that we have been for the most part instilled in Michigan, we're still at this moment required to stay home, to stay safe, in many parts of our state and.
It's interesting because that's the first thing I thought of is that we have this idea that everybody's life is so much better. We joke around the house here that we're keeping up with the Joneses. if somebody cuts their grass, the other neighbors have to cut their grass.
If one person puts up a swing set, another person does, or you put up. You know, lights at Christmas time, somebody has to outdo you. We're always trying to, because we think everybody else's life is so much better. I remember my mom bless her heart. what, tell us, we couldn't be having the biggest argument or she could have just yelled at us for whatever, and we're getting in the car and she would say now, remember, we have to have our friends and family think that we are a good family.
So no arguing wipe that smirk off your face, turn that frown upside down. All of those colloquiums that we hear throughout, our life, because we put on that because we don't want people to see our faults. We don't want to show that to others. So we don't see that in others. Unfortunately until it comes out.
this pandemic has also shown us that every person's life is not what we thought for those who are struggling. Those who are. Barely making it paycheck to paycheck who now are struggling to get the unemployment that they need or are, or are forced to work when they're scared, because they don't know who's following the guidelines and who's not.
our eyes have really opened to see that the appearance of abundancy and people's lives is just that an appearance. And I'm hoping that in our new normal that maybe we see the difficulties in each other's lives more so than being jealous of each other's lives with what we think other people have. If that makes any sense,
Barbara: it sure does. And I've always preferred to talk about the elephant in the room. I've been a social worker for many years, as well as facilitating different Bible studies. And I would much rather honor where people are at then have sort of a fake glossy appearance. Even if I put on makeup.
My favorite Bible study tagline was when I lived in Germany with some military spouses and we were talking about someone's car broke down or they didn't have a chance to do their homework because something happened. And we won't have any homework in this Bible study podcast, but we'll always offer up optional follow up things that you can check out if you want to.
But our tagline in that Bible study was. “Wrecks are welcome here!” And I just wanted to say that even for this podcast, we're not looking for people whose lives are perfect or all put together, or who have all the answers about God and the Bible. Cause we don't either we're in this together to learn and to support each other and to encourage each other and to welcome each other.
Melissa: Well, that's wonderful because if you were expecting perfection from here, it's not happening.
Barbara: Absolutely not. We're on this journey together. I'm wondering if life sometimes feels like a roller coaster, Melissa, and one thing you shared with me before that I'm wondering if you'd like to speak about for a minute, is that you welcomed your dad into your home. So you have three generations plus some dogs living together. And I'm wondering, how can we be equipped to know there's hardships as well as blessings and how do we prepare and cope with these different seasons when life might feel like a roller coaster?
Melissa: Oh, life is definitely a roller coaster.
It's been really nice because her daycare closed. So now we had a blessing was having my father here because when She was no longer able to don't go to daycare. He became the daycare so that I was able to continue with my studies, which was a blessing that I know a lot of my classmates and those around the country who all of a sudden found themselves needing to take care of children while trying to find, and figuring out how they were going to do their work or do their work from home, or, We're facing the blessing in our house was that we didn't have that struggle, but I definitely acknowledge and prayed a lot for all of the parents who were having to do that.
Barbara: Very much so. And you had no idea when you were wondering, okay, how are we going to take care of dad? Now that mom has passed, how can we fit everybody into one house? Do we need a new house? You had no idea that there was going to be a pandemic and your daughter's daycare was going to be closed after your dad was living with you.
Melissa: Right? I think the blessings just. Poured down on us, from what we thought was a horrible situation of having to sell the family home and having to do all of these things and sell the home. We were married at, to buy a new home, to do more renovate, you know, to do all these things that we thought were hardships turned out to be a blessing.
Barbara: What a phenomenal testimonial that it doesn't always work out that way. So I can't, I can't feel like we say, well, if, if you, if you do this, then something wonderful will happen. Sometimes it takes a really long time and you're like, okay, I'm still waiting for the wonderful. And like I said, well, we'll get to the part about waiting in another conversation, but.
When we're talking about fear, could it be a consolation to know that sometimes after the fear that something good can come out of a situation that we had no idea at the time.
Bible verses:
1 Peter 4:12 in the NRSV
“Beloved. Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you as though something strange were happening to you.”
And in The Message that same verse is “friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job.”
Melissa encourages us in times of fear