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This week I watched a short video by Andy Stanley (www.andystanley.com) and he shares a 8-minute thought entitled, "When Fear Impacts Your Faith". It's linked below, but it was a great reminder to me as a follower of Jesus not only of where I put my faith, but where I put my fear.
Fear is something that is being talked about every day on the news, in social media and in the lives of people all over the world.
I shared this before but for many of us, when we face fear, our first response is to be PARALYZED. We're stuck. We don't know what to do. We panic. We run one way, then we run the other way. We're frantic.
We use the term "like deer in the headlights", which means according to the idioms dictionary, "A state or manner of paralyzing surprise, fear, or bewilderment. Likened to the tendency of deer to freeze in place in front of an oncoming vehicle."
I had that happen one time. I was riding my motorcycle on the coast of California in the early morning. My friend Jim was in front, and we were driving in the fog, moving pretty slow and cautiously (like we always do Gina!), and he passed 2 young deer on the side of the road. They jumped onto the highway and stopped right in front of my bike. I slammed on my brakes, and only when I stopped did they run off. It was a close call. The deer were surprised by Jim on his bike, then they were "paralyzed" when I came along. Fear. Panic. Bewilderment.
Forbes magazine shares an article entitled 14 Ways to Conquer Fear by Josh Steimle. Of couple of the ways he shares are:
#1) Understand fear and embrace it.
"Fear exists to keep us safe. It is not inherently bad or good but a tool we can use to make better decisions. Fear isn't designed to keep us inactive, but to help us act in ways that generate the results we need and want. Embrace fear as instruction and let it inform your actions, but not control them."
#3) Name the fear.
"Sometimes merely stating what your fear is gives you the strength to deal with it. Say your fear out loud, write it down, or focus your mind on it. When you try to ignore your fear, it grows. When you face it, it shrinks."
#10) Get help.
"Whatever you're afraid of, is it something you have to do alone? Can you find a mentor or support group to help you through it? Athletes have coaches. Students have teachers. Sometimes friends, even if they have no expertise in the area you're struggling with, can provide the needed support to face your fear."
#13) Be willing to pivot.
"As the adage goes, 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.' But there's also the saying, 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.' If you're afraid to do something again because it didn't work out the last time, figure out why it didn't work, and try something different before you give up trying altogether."
Some great reminders of ways to conquer our fear.
Today, when you face a new fear, or when that same thing comes back from yesterday, don't get stuck. Embrace it, get some help, and move forward!
Watch the Stanley video below to be reminded of the hope we have that isn't found in fear.
"Courage is knowing what not to fear." Plato
"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." Yoda
"Fear not, for I am with you." Isaiah 41:10
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