Fear

What are you afraid of?  Me, I'm a people pleaser.  I want people to like me. I posted this link on Facebook last week to a blog about the necessity of saying no sometimes - something I very much need to learn.  But my people pleasing doesn't stop at just not wanting to say no to people.  It's an overall need to be liked.  I think far too much about what other people will think of me if I do this or wear that.  I want to be noticed, but in a positive way.

This morning in my devotions the scripture was Psalm 46, and verses 1-2 were the most impactful:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.  Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give away and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.  

Now maybe it's because we have a better understanding of science than the psalmist did, but I don't really connect with the fear of the earth giving way or the mountains falling into the sea.  Or maybe it's simply because I've lived in Ohio most of my life and there are no mountains or sea.  I didn't even feel the earthquake last year.  I am sure these things would be terrifying, but they are out of my realm of experience.

But what if I rewrote it with my fears...

God is my comforter and protector, a friend who will always love me.  Therefore, I will not be afraid, though people may not like me or think I am weird.

What would it look like if you inserted your fears into the verse? Maybe your fear is failure for some adventure you really want to try:

God is your safety net and comforter, an ever present help when you're in need.  Therefore, you do not need to be afraid, no matter what mistakes you make or how big your failure.

Or maybe your fear is letting go of control:

God is your strength and power, always wanting the best for you.  Therefore, you do not need to be afraid to give him control of your life.

Or maybe you fear success.  Sometimes we think we fear failure, but really we're afraid that we will succeed and it won't be what we imagined. Or it will be more than we imagined and we don't know if we can handle it.

God is your hope and your strength, always there and always bigger than you.  Therefore, you do not need to be afraid to succeed and run after the best life has for you. 

I don't know what your fears are.  The truth is, all three of these represent some of my biggest fears.  But God is bigger than all my fears put together.  And not just that - God is bigger than all the fears of all of us put together.  So we need to trust God, and act in spite of our fears.  We can start small - after all "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" (Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu), but we need to start.  Because if we wait for perfect timing, for no fear, to have all the knowledge, we will take our dreams and hopes to the grave with us never having really become who we were created to be.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.  ~ Mark Twain