The Fear They Sold Us

I was helping my friend build a pergola one day, and we needed to get the metal sheets for the roof, the final step before calling it done. So we drove out to an industrial supplier in South Austin.

As we pulled into the gravel lot, scripture verses caught my eye. Painted on walls, carved into signs, mounted throughout the property. At first, I thought nothing of it. The owner's faith on display. Inside the office, I noticed a couple of verses that spoke of fear, and those made me think:

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7)

"Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling" (Psalm 2:11)

Standing there among the roofing supplies, I felt that familiar unease from my Catholic upbringing. The same message. Fear God, or else.