Yep – I said it. Fear sucks. I can’t find a better word to describe it. Fear can stop us from doing anything, even the things we desire most to do. Obviously, if something is dangerous, fear is there to protect us. But I have found that fear usually operates in places of my life it has no business being.
I got to a place about a year ago where I was daily living with extreme levels of anxiety. I couldn’t figure out why and I couldn’t make it stop. I would wake up with a fear in my chest that was only barely kept at bay with deep breathing and conscious work to tell myself there was nothing to be afraid of in that moment. I’d had several full blown panic attacks. If you’ve ever had one of those, you know how awful they are.
I wish it was as simple as saying “No Fear” like the bumper stickers and that all fear would just go away. I don’t know about you, but for me it’s never that easy. I find that fear comes in a lot of shapes and sizes. Sometimes it’s huge and I know what it is, I can even understand why it’s there. Other times, it’s subtle and I can’t quite put my finger on why I’m unable to get something done.
There is this beautiful book written by Bruce Wilkinson called “The Dream Giver.” It tells the story of someone trying to move out of their ordinary life and grab onto the dream they feel in their heart. At one point, the main character has left his hometown and is headed out to pursue his somewhat ambiguous dream.
“By now, each step was harder to take than the last. His anxiety grew into fear. Then up ahead he saw a sign. It read: Leaving the Comfort Zone of Familiar. Entering BorderLand. Now Ordinary felt sheer terror. Sweat poured off his forehead. He could hardly breathe. He could hardly think. Then, just as he came to the sign, Ordinary hit an invisible Wall of Fear. He stopped, unable to take one more step. He dropped his suitcase and sat on it.”
When I first read this, I felt a kind of joy because someone had identified something I was experiencing. The Invisible Wall of Fear. Yes! It was invisible to me, yet it stopped me completely. I couldn’t move forward, even though I wanted to.
What can we do when we hit our Invisible Wall of Fear?
Pray – Pray – Pray Some More
Pray like the persistent widow, who didn’t stop asking for help until her case was decided in her favor. Pray like a toddler asking for food when they are hungry. (If you’ve even been around this situation, I assure you, the kid always gets food!) A lot of the situations that cause fear for me are things that I know God has asked me to do. He has promised us:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
If God has shown me to move forward in a specific area, and I encounter fear, I know it’s not from God. We don’t have to put up with that! Fight back! Remind yourself of God’s good promises.
Ordinary decided. If his fear wasn’t going to leave, he would have to go forward in spite of it. Still trembling, he picked up his suitcase, turned his back on Familiar, and walked to the sign. And even though his fear kept growing, Ordinary shut his eyes and took a big step forward— right through the invisible Wall of Fear. And there he made a surprising discovery. On the other side of that single step— the exact one Ordinary didn’t think he could take— he found that he had broken through his Comfort Zone. Now the Wall of Fear was behind him. He was free, and his Dream was ahead. He began to whistle again as he walked on, his Big Dream beating brightly in his chest. (Dream Giver, Bruce Wilkinson)
Could it really be that simple? Yes! Simple, but not easy. The definition of courage is: the ability to do something that frightens one. That means you can’t be courageous unless your facing something scary. We see God repeatedly encourage people to not be afraid all throughout the Bible. God takes fear seriously because He knows it is one of the few things that can truly hold us back from fulfilling the incredible adventure He has planned for us.
Take that scary step forward. You will be glad you did. God will be delighted and the world will be a better place.
I pray you hear God’s voice encouraging you today in whatever area you are experiencing fear. If his voice is hard to hear, I pray my words would embolden you for today.
You. Can. Do. It.
(This blog is a step of faith for me. If I can do it afraid, so can you!)