I remember an assignment in an honors college critical thinking class to bring in a song with meaningful lyrics. We had to read the lyrics aloud then play the song for everyone. Everyone laughed or snickered when it was my turn and told them I had brought a song by Alanis Morisette (it was ‘Would Not Come’).

But by the time I had finished reading the lyrics, they understood why I had chosen that song. While they were expecting a scorned lover’s song, what they got was something much broader and more relevant.

Today’s lyric is another gem I found in a Switchfoot song (Golden (Album Version), off their Nothing is Sound album), a band I never would have volunteered to see in concert were it not for a friend who had tickets.

‘There’s a fear that burns like trash inside.’

What a beautiful line. All of our fears, our insecurities ARE just that–trash we burn inside ourselves. Sometimes we stoke the fire ourselves even. And the product of cultivating fear in ourselves is a poisonous smoke we blow everywhere, causing others to turn their backs and walk away. Remember that fear is trash, and our job is to take out the trash, not burn it!