Fear
Fear. A four letter word that can ultimately consume our lives. It can refer to so many things; fear of public speaking, fear of spiders, fear of being alone, fear of flying, fear of germs, fear of your life being taken, fear of being robbed, fear of witnessing, fear of sacrifice and this list goes on and on and on. Fear stops us, hinders us and blinds us. I remember one night not being able to fall asleep for fear of a spider in my room. I remember another time being at six flags theme park in California and not going on any rides for fear of them malfunctioning and killing me. Another time, I had an opportunity to pray with someone and lead them to Christ but I asked someone else to do it because I was afraid I wouldn’t have the right words. When fear captures us, we miss out on God ordained moments.
It is a proven fact that when we are born we only have two natural fears; fear of heights and fear of loud noises. Every other fear is learned, meaning, we have the ability to unlearn them. Many of our fears are skin deep and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them. Other fears are deeper, and it takes time purposely invested in order to see through them. One thing I’ve learned is that I don’t want fear to dictate the outcome of my life. It’s to disappointing looking back on missed opportunities, on missed adventures.
There is no comfort in overcoming a fear. And I think that’s where a lot of us fall. It is so much easier keeping your mouth shut, your head straight and your pace fast when walking through a hurt and dyeing world. There’s so much more comfort in going through the mundaneness of life rather than fighting for a cause. But my prayer is that my comfort makes me uneasy, That the mundanenss makes me restless. That fear will not have a hold on my life. That jumping in a pit with a lion on a snowy day is what I strive after. I don’t want my fear to block my dream, I don’t want it to grow bigger than my faith.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “In order for one to learn the important lessons of life, one must first overcome a fear each day.” In order for me to live a God ordained life, I must overcome a fear each day. I know what It feels like to overcome a fear, to have a perfectly restful night with no fear of spiders. To be on that roller coaster feeling that adrenalin rush. To be the one to lead someone to Christ and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’m doing what God has called me to do. And that feeling in that moment, that feeling is far better than any feeling of comfort I’ve ever experienced. It’s worth it, It’s overwhelmingly worth it.
walkinginhisdust
