Step back, Fear

Before I get really fired up about how everyone should face their fears, I have to tell you that this is an area I struggle with.

I will tell you a few of my fears.  I am scared of trying new things, scared of change, scared of getting hurt, scared of being scared, scared of choking, scared of throwing up, scared of the dark (only sometimes), scared of missing God's best for me, scared of denying God's will, scared of trying new foods, scared of commitment, and scared of being out of control.

Yes, I am serious about all of these and some of them affect me every day.  There have been times when I do not get my fill because I am afraid of choking.  Sometimes I can not sleep at night because I am afraid of throwing up.   Sometimes I don't try new foods because I am afraid I might like it and then have to change my diet.  I know all of these seem super crazy and very irrational, and I would agree they are crazy and super irrational, but to me they are a very real thing.

I am reading a book called In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson.  The whole premise of the book is based on a verse in the bible.  You heard me right…a verse.  Okay maybe a couple verses, but still.

"Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.  And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear." (2 Samuel 23:20-21).  

Yes, the scripture just said that Benaiah went and killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day.  I can't believe I read right over this when I read through 2 Samuel.  This guy soon became the captain of David's army because he was a "lion chaser" as Mark Batterson describes.  

I know that we all have dreams.  We all want to make our own mark on the world.  That dream could be as simple as being a stay at home mom or as complex to moving to across the world and planting a church in some remote village in India.  We all have dreams.  Some of us, even have God-sized dreams.  

We have dreams that seem impossible.  But as Mark Batterson describes, your God-sized dreams are only as big as your God.  "Maybe it's time to stop creating God in your image and let Him create you in His. The more we grow, the bigger God should get. And the bigger God gets, the smaller our lions will become" (Batterson 29). 

Yet, I am still thinking that Beniah wasn't completely absent of fear, when he began to chase the lion.  No!  I'm sure he was terrified.  Yet, He decided to face his fears, because He knew that his God was big enough.  

Batterson also talks about how the scariest experiences are the greatest experiences of you life.  Thinking back through my life, one of the greatest experiences of my life was when I moved to New York.  Yet, I tell you it was one of the scariest things in my life.  I was in 7th grade, and I had to move across the continent to experience a culture that was the complete opposite of the conservative Texas.  Not only that but our family was split up; my dad stayed here in Texas when my mom and I moved to the Big Apple.  

I was terrified.  

Yet, My dad and I were reading through the bible together and it was when I was in New York, when we came across the passage

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). 

My family adopted this as our family motto.  We want to be bold and courageous.  

So, I don't know about you, but I am tired of letting fear hold me back.  I want to have a story that people will talk about for years to come.  I want to be in the hall of fame along with David who shot Goliath, Beniah who killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day,  Daniel who braved a lions den, and Shadrach, Mishach, and Abendego who faced a fiery furnace.  

Maybe, today, you don't have to go into a fiery furnace, but maybe you have to go into a workplace where no one knows Jesus, and God has been asking you to tell them about Christ.  Maybe you don't have to slay a giant, but you have to mend a friendship and perform a giant task of forgiving them for the past.  Maybe you don't have to kill a lion, but you have to thwart the devils schemes of tempting you.  As Batterson says, the devil is described as a lion. 

So, starting today, let us not let our fears hold us back.  Let's keep each other accountable.  Let's face our fears.  For the moment we face our fears, could be the greatest moments of our life.