Living Fearless... or Not So Much

Last year I served on the launch team for a book by Kelly Balarie called Fear Fighting. It was a great read. I finally completely finished it this evening.

It was a book that I kept circling around. It had a study guide in the back, so I took my time finishing those questions.

Tonight, I'm reflecting on fear...

It's something common to all of us. We each have different fears, and to other people our fears may feel trivial, but because we are all unique they are distinctly part of us.

I don't think fear is necessarily a bad thing.

 Fear can keep us from placing ourselves in dangerous situations.

Fear can keep us driving the speed limit, and going to the doctor to get checkups, and exercising...

Fear can make us listen to our parents when we are younger...

And fear can make us dependent on God.

I think that's the key, perhaps... because we are told to fear God and keep His commandments.

Not fear God as in shaking in our shoes, fear... but rather by being in complete awe and reverence of Him... because He is worthy.

When we think of how all-powerful He is, and how He has a plan for each one of us that is unique, it's a little easier to face our fear of the future. Of the unknown. Of the scary diagnosis or the difficulty family time...

because we know He is there, and He will never leave us or forsake us.

Being the wrong kind of fearful keeps us stagnant... stuck... tongue-tied and unsure and convinced that we should just stay put.

That's no way to live.

And I want to live, don't you?

In fact, I've embraced that very mantra as my word of the year- to "live".

Truly live.

To do that, I've had to face my fears...

I started taking piano lessons, starting at the very beginner book even though I feared that made me look silly. Even though I feared I wouldn't catch on...

I signed up for a Spanish class, even though I'm afraid I'll struggle and my fellow faculty member will think I'm stupid.

I am making myself vulnerable on social media, admitting that I struggle (a lot)... and am committed to making myself vulnerable in real life, even though I am terrified of rejection.

I've been pushing myself physically this past month, and am tossing around the idea of training for an event, even though I'm afraid I won't be fast enough or strong enough... or enough...

He tells us that He is strong in our weakness. When we choose to LIVE dependently on Him, handing our fear over to Him. we learn to focus on all that is great and good about Him and begin to see things  from His perspective... not fearless, because we are in awe of how great He is... but definitely not full of fear...

Thanks for a great book, Kelly!  Much food for thought!