When I’m first getting to know someone I like to ask them questions. Questions are such a great and natural way to learn more about a person. (A little more natural than stalking them on facebook.) Questions show that you are interested. One of my favorite questions is, “What are you afraid of?” That’s such a classic question. “What scares you?” For some people it is clowns. For others it’s spiders. Some folks are afraid of being alone. And some are just afraid of the dark. I hate answering that question though. (This probably means I shouldn’t ask it.)
Honestly, I don’t like to admit that I am scared of anything. But there are things that I fear. Now none of my fears would cause me to have a panic attack or run away screaming, but there are some times when I get scared. Rejection, dying young, not fulfilling my purpose – these are just some of my fears.
God has been speaking to me a lot about fears lately. I read a piece on Donald Miller’s blog the other day and I was instantly confronted with truth. He was talking about being scared to say the closing prayer at the Democratic National Convention. Don writes, “Fear is always a sign that a great story is about to be written (or not, depending on how you respond.)” Fear is such a great way to keep you from doing something. It’s great at holding you back. What better way to keep you from accomplishing a life goal than fear? What better way to keep you from connecting with the person who could change your life forever than fear?
I have a lot of dreams that I would love to accomplish in life. I do believe that I have a purpose. Many times when I find myself pursuing my dreams or trying to live in my purpose I encounter fears. Lately, when I encounter these fears I try to take a moment to pause. I ask myself what’s the worst that could happen? I could be rejected (been there, done that & survived). People could say mean things about me. (I don’t give too much credit to people who say mean things.) Or, quite possibly, the situation could actually turn out for the good. Now imagine that. The thing is I will never know how situations will turn out if I let my fears control me. I will never come closer to living in my purpose if I’m too fearful to pursue it. I will never know how much a relationship can change my life for the better (and maybe other lives) if I’m too scared to invest myself in another person.
God says that where He’s present, fear shall not reign. He says that He takes care of the flowers in the fields and clothes them with beauty and splendor – He says that He will take care of us with even more love than He shows the flowers. It really comes down to “Do I trust Him to take care of me and the situations I am in when I encounter fear?” I believe that God has certain plans for my life and certain ones for your life; plans that are so great we can’t even imagine them. But, now here’s the question, how will we ever get to experience those great plans if we’re too scared to move?
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Aspirations for 2009
The past few days I have just been thinking about the New Year and what exactly that means. It feels like it’s a way to start fresh. This year doesn’t have to be the same as the last. Not to say that last year was a terrible year, but I like to find things I can improve on. So here’s a few things I want to work at this year.
Make more time for others. I like helping people and I like being a friend, but I’m also kind of selfish. We’ve all had those phone calls where we look at the ID and then decide not to pick it up. Well, I want to be more available to the people around me. I also tend to get distracted easily, so when I am with someone I want to be fully present during that time.
Seek out the things that bring me joy in life and pursue those more often. Life can get mundane. Sometimes it can get boring. It’s not supposed to be that way though. I think that God created us to experience joy and excitement. Sometimes we get too caught up in the everyday that we forget what our passions are and how to go after them.
Don’t let fear control any aspect of your life. I remember being too scared in middle school to ask a girl out. I don’t struggle with that fear any more (okay maybe sometimes). But fear is something that we give over big portions of our lives to. God says that we should never fear because He is on our side. And if we’ll just take a deep breath, count to five, and say no to fear…there’s no telling what great things we can experience.
And along those lines, don’t back away from risks. Truthfully, I like to play it safe. I think most of us do. But if we don’t take risks, life gets pretty boring. When we take risks we are seeking out what it truly means to be alive. The great life that our hearts call out for is not found sitting on the couch; it’s found out in the unknown.
Never give up on people. Persistence is not my best quality. Neither is patience when it comes to people. Someone does me wrong, I typically say okay and mentally write that person off. I don’t want to be that way though. I think the world would be a better place if no one gave up on anyone else.
These are just a few of the things I have come up with so far. I’ll probably think of more later on during the year. But that’s okay. Life is supposed to have adjustments. And I need to make room for them.
Make more time for others. I like helping people and I like being a friend, but I’m also kind of selfish. We’ve all had those phone calls where we look at the ID and then decide not to pick it up. Well, I want to be more available to the people around me. I also tend to get distracted easily, so when I am with someone I want to be fully present during that time.
Seek out the things that bring me joy in life and pursue those more often. Life can get mundane. Sometimes it can get boring. It’s not supposed to be that way though. I think that God created us to experience joy and excitement. Sometimes we get too caught up in the everyday that we forget what our passions are and how to go after them.
Don’t let fear control any aspect of your life. I remember being too scared in middle school to ask a girl out. I don’t struggle with that fear any more (okay maybe sometimes). But fear is something that we give over big portions of our lives to. God says that we should never fear because He is on our side. And if we’ll just take a deep breath, count to five, and say no to fear…there’s no telling what great things we can experience.
And along those lines, don’t back away from risks. Truthfully, I like to play it safe. I think most of us do. But if we don’t take risks, life gets pretty boring. When we take risks we are seeking out what it truly means to be alive. The great life that our hearts call out for is not found sitting on the couch; it’s found out in the unknown.
Never give up on people. Persistence is not my best quality. Neither is patience when it comes to people. Someone does me wrong, I typically say okay and mentally write that person off. I don’t want to be that way though. I think the world would be a better place if no one gave up on anyone else.
These are just a few of the things I have come up with so far. I’ll probably think of more later on during the year. But that’s okay. Life is supposed to have adjustments. And I need to make room for them.
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