“What you are afraid to do is a clear indication of the next thing to do”.  – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have you ever been so fearful of something that it makes you physically ill?  You have the continual gut bomb that sometimes pulses within you, making a life of it’s own?  You either can’t eat or can’t STOP eating?  Your face breaks out and your mind races like a jet boat?  I have and it sucks.

Many people are terrified of public speaking.  I was talking with someone I love about public speaking yesterday, and just thinking about the early days of speaking, I could feal the tinge of angst.  It’s such a normal fear, but it can either rob you of the sweet success you desire, or propel you into your greatest levels of accomplishment.

Some women fear they’ll never get pregnant and then fear they won’t carry their child to full-term.  That’s only the beginning of the fears they face while protecting that child outside the womb.  I was married at 21 yrs. old, gaining two step-sons, ages four and six.  I was so fearful, doubting my every move.

Some men fear they won’t be able to provide the life their families deserve.  They fear losing their job or their health.  It puts such a pressure on them to achieve that they end up laser-focused on their job, stealing precious moments with their families.  The same goes for some women in the workplace as they try even harder to prove themselves in what can seem like a man’s world.

Others fear they will never find love.  They’ve searched their entire lives, their only desire being to find that “magical” person that will make their lives complete.  Fear slowly develops into skepticism, eventually overtaking them.  When love finally knocks at the door, they don’t even hear it.

FEAR IS NOT OF GOD

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears”.  Psalm 34:4

You may ask, “Yea, but how do I do that”?  I can’t eat.  I can’t sleep.  The fear is crippling to me.  The short answer is … you PRAY.  You WAIT.  You TRUST.

You PRAY for God to give you wisdom.  You pray for courage.  Patience.  Discernment.  You pray for JOY in the waiting.  You WAIT for him to move.  You TRUST the answers will come.

Fair warning … when the answers come, you then need to be willing to MOVE yourself INTO YOUR FEAR until you’ve faced it and come out the other side.  Yes, he will be there with you, but it’s going to feel overwhelming.  It will be the biggest, ugliest, scariest thing you’ve ever endured, but if HE brought you to it, HE will bring you through it.

If you are struggling with a decision, let me start by saying, you probably already know your answer.  Let me repeat.  YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW YOUR ANSWER.  Your natural born instinct tells you what you need to do … but fear will prevent you from making the decisions you need to make.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of failure.  Fear of what others will think.

Sweet friend … to hell with what anyone thinks!  You were created for greatness.  Your steps have been measured, your journey prepared.  Your only job is to step into the beautiful masterpiece God intended you to be.

Fear not.  March forward.  Hold that head high.  Press those shoulders back.  Keep the sun on your face and soak in all the sweet pleasures of life.  You could be breathing your last moment without knowing.

When you get to the edge of that cliff where you know, without a shadow of a doubt, that you need to jump, JUMP!  As you’re floating, you will feel as though you’ve been reborn.  Yes, the fear is still chasing you – nipping at your heals, but it no longer controls you.  It no longer determines your next move.  It’s simply an illusion.

For the first time, in perhaps your entire life, you’ve gained your POWER.  Your perfect, peaceful power – which was at the center of your being the whole entire time.  I challenge you to step into your fears today … you have what it takes to get through anything.

“Be brave, be kind, be bold, be fierce, be YOU.”

-Jules-