Fear. Fear of failure. Fear of being made fun of. Fear of doing the wrong thing. Fear of judgment. Fear of not measuring up to expectations. These are all fears that hinder us from becoming who God made us to be.
Why do we let fear get in the way? Why do we give so much thought, time and energy into worrying? Did you know that when we worry, we are basically saying that we don’t trust God? Talk about a punch to the gut. I’m a worrier by nature; it’s just who I am. I don’t know how to NOT worry. I trust God, I really do. But yet I’m still over here worrying about things I don’t have any control over. If you are reading this and do not worry, please teach me your ways. Seriously.
And what about our comfort zone. Our friends and family, our job, the grocery store we go to every week and the coffee shop we stop at every Monday morning. It’s hard to leave the safety of what we know and love. And maybe, just maybe, if we follow God’s calling, He will take us out of that comfort zone. So then we think it’s easier to follow our own plans or half heartedly pray that God would reveal His plans to us, with little intentions of following through. No matter what His plans are, we should be so excited to follow them. Because after all, the God of the universe took time to make actual plans for US. Divine plans. Plans for us to prosper, be loved, and be successful. Now that doesn’t mean that His plans will be easy and that everything will be rainbows and butterflies all the time. I believe it’s the exact opposite actually…but we should be honored to follow those plans, wherever they lead us.
Take my life for example. I never had intentions of leaving Texas, or moving away from the Dallas metroplex. I had amazing friends and the best family. But in 2012, God placed a dream in my heart. It was an unconventional dream, but I spent the next two and a half years making that dream a reality. That dream was to move to Nashville and work in the music industry. And I’m sitting here writing this blog at my favorite coffee shop in Nashville (shoutout to The Well), celebrating two years of living in this wonderful city, and working in the industry that I never pictured myself working in. Do you know why that is? Because God is funny. I didn’t grow up wanting to live hundreds of miles away from my family and having this unconventional job where I can go months without a gig. But I followed God’s plan for me, and it has been truly rewarding.
I didn’t let the fear of moving to a new state deter me. I didn’t let the fear of not being surrounded by my best friends and family members shy me away. The fear of the unknown can be paralyzing if we let it…which is why we have to choose daily to fight against it. God will not take us where we don’t belong.
It’s the start of a new year, which means resolutions and plans and promises. Let’s try to make realistic goals, pick out attainable phrases, or pick a strong word for this new year. Let’s promise ourselves that in 2017, we will not be a victim to fear. We will voice our concerns to those closest to us. We will be accountable for our actions. We will make an effort to take things one day at a time, and not worry about the things we cannot control. Let’s make 2017 the year that we become who God has made us to be!
