Fear is Easy

Fear is easy.  Not easy to deal with, or get rid of, but easy to choose.  It is easy for me to be afraid that I will be too tired tomorrow, and that I won't know how to deal with whatever comes up.  It is easy for me to be afraid that nobody wants to talk to me, and to be afraid that I am not good enough.  It is so easy to be paralyzed by the fear that if I choose something it will be "wrong".  It is easy to choose fear because then I don't have to move.  I can stay where I am because, while I might be miserable, this place of fear can give the illusion of safety.

If I expect to fail at the challenges I have tomorrow, then I won't be letting myself down when that happens.  Right?  And if I don't call anybody, then I won't have to risk that they might not want to talk to me.  And if I don't make choices to move forward, I can't be any more hurt than I am now, right?  No.  Not right.

Fear may stop us, but it doesn't protect us from life.  Being afraid of tomorrow doesn't keep it from coming, and not choosing to make choices to move forward is a choice to stay stuck, in fear.  Losing out on the good I could have is, in my opinion, being more hurt than whatever hurt I have now.

Faith is required to keep moving.  Faith that, even if I am tired tomorrow, and I don't know how to deal with whatever comes up, I will do my best and that will be better than not trying.  Faith that even if my efforts aren't perfect, they are enough to make a difference for good.  Faith that, if I call someone, then even if whoever it is doesn't want to talk to me, they will know they are thought of, and that is not a bad thing.  Faith that, if I make a choice, and it is wrong, I can then make a different choice!  It is so interesting that stepping out of fear can seem more scary than living in fear constantly!

Fear is darkness, and the Lord will help us out of darkness.  Psalms 119:105 says "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."  We can use God's word to light our way.  We can choose to believe in Him, and in the light that He will provide if we just take that first step out of fear.