Fear is one of the most powerful emotions. We all have fears. Some are healthy and some are not. Fear can make you move quickly or freeze you in your tracks.
Several years ago I was in Italy and had the chance to jump off very large cliffs into the Mediterranean ocean. I remember standing at the top of the cliff looking down at the ocean and thinking that I must be crazy. But then I took the leap and it was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had. I overcame the fear and it is now one of my best memories.
This year I have toyed with the idea of writing a book. I have several different ideas in mind and yet have not started on any of them. WHY? Fear. Fear that my writing isn't good enough. Fear that no one will like them. Fear that no one will find my book interesting.
Why should that matter? If this is the gift that God has given me (I wrote about gifts in an earlier post), am I dishonoring Him by not pursuing this?
This morning in church the preacher talked about some ways God speaks to us. She ended with a Prayer of Discomfort. It is an interesting thought. We get caught in our comfort zone and take the easy road. Is that the road we were meant for? Or does God have something bigger planned for us? It is in the uncomfortable where we find out that we can do more than we could ever have imagined for ourselves. But much like a parent who knows that their child has greatness within them and pushes them to find it, God does that to each of us. In the parent/child relationship the parent is close by to watch (and catch if necessary) to see the amazing feat.
God, just like a parent, is there with us to watch us fly or to catch us if we lose trust. Just like in Matthew 14:28-31. Peter saw Jesus walking on the water and said "Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water". Peter, with his eyes on Jesus, walked on water when he knew that was not possible. But as the winds came and he took his eyes off of Jesus he began to sink. We are all like Peter. We feel as though we can do anything when we have our eyes on Him. Why then do we look away?
So this summer I am setting out on a path. Each morning I'm looking to God and asking What are your plans for me today? In the quiet morning I will listen to his reply, knowing full well that he will test me and challenge me to burst through that wall of fear to get to the other side. As is written in Jeremiah 29:11-12 "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."
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