Fear Not

So…2005. You and I had a bit of a love-hate relationship, didn’t we? You were a year that brought a lot of things - new friends who have helped me to rediscover sides of myself that I had almost lost; healing through buried hurts; and heartbreak and painful experiences that showed me where true freedom, hope, and joy come from, to a name a few big ones. But as I look back, all of these seem tied to one underlying development. 2005 was a year where I decided to confront fear.

I have lived in fear for most of my 32 years, and it has been this year that has helped me to see it clearly for the first time. It has been this year that has brought me to a place of confronting it for the first time. And it has been this year that has led me to see how much fear has been holding me back from amazing experiences.

And through all of this, I have learned one thing that I know for sure – fear sucks. And I am not going to accept it anymore. I am not going to let it dictate my life.

As I look to my future, there is a lot I could be scared of. Frankly, some of it may happen. Some of it may even be probable based on the circumstances that confront me. But God is a God of the impossible, and so I see now that circumstances are not the whole story. In 2005, God showed me that the impossible can, in fact, become reality if I trust in him.

So I ask myself, “what if I put myself out there and take the chances that are right in front of me? What if I take the risk?” Yes, my worst fears could happen. They could. But, alternatively, my wildest dreams could come true. My deepest hopes could be fulfilled.

I have wasted enough time. I have allowed myself to enter a life of boredom and white-knuckled security that left no room for adventure. And that is no life. From now on, I choose adventure.

I am shooting for my wildest dreams. Care to join me?

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7