Facing Our Fears

The face of fear varies from person to person. 

For one it's spiders, for others it's being alone.

Take a moment. 

What do you fear?

How long have you allowed that fear to keep you from acting?

For many, the incapacitating potential of what could happen    

is enough to freeze us in our tracks.

Sometimes fear protects us.

Other times it prevents us.

The challenge is to distinguish between those two.

2 questions to consider:

1. Does my fear protect me from pain?

Or...

2. Does it prevent me from really living?

Even though most of the things we fear never happen,

their paralyzing power is undeniable.

That little voice in our head is persistent, isn't it?

So what do we do?

Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

How do we silence it?

We can't stop the voices from speaking, but we can determine who we listen to.

While it's good to look to others, don't wait for them.

They may never jump.

"Courage is not the absence of fear;

It's moving forward even while your knees are shaking."

Abraham Lincoln

Let's jump on three: 1, 2, 3.

Sticks & Stones

As children we're taught a simple lie,

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." 

I'm not sure who said this first.

And, I don't know how it became part of our cultures lexicon.

But, it's just not true.

If I break a bone it will grow back stronger.
However, the words that are spoken over me have the power to either
build up or tear down.

Can you remember someone saying something that breathed life into you?
Maybe something like:
"I believe in you."
"You can do it."
"I'm so proud of you."

Why is it that the verbal deposits which wound us are so much harder to forget?
 I call this "Spoken-Static-Cling."

Static cling is when your shirt or skirt sticks to you in an unappealing way.
Static cling turns a nice outfit into an uncomfortable, at times embarrassing experience.

So how do we combat it?

We need to get some static guard for our spirit.

3 ways to guard yourself against people who throw sticks & stones:  

1. Determine who has a voice in your life.

A mentor of mine recently said, 

"Don't let small people have big power in your life." Jodi Detrick

It's one thing to give people a second chance. 

It's something else to keep people in your life who regularly hit you with words that wound.

Action step: Decide who you will Befriend & Unfriend.

2. Surround yourself with people who speak life. 

If you hang out with people who speak death of others, 

they will eventually speak death of you. 

The opposite is also true.

People who speak life in private speak life in public.

You will become like people you spend time with.

 Action Step: Pursue people who believe in you enough to be candid and clear with you.

3. Speak life of others. 

What you do for others, someday, someone will do for you.

  

Action Step: Listen to what you are saying about others and adjust where needed.

The tongue has the power of life and death, 

and those who love it will eat its fruit.  Proverbs 13:20