Faith over Fear

Last week I sent out a poll asking people, “What keeps them stuck from moving forward, taking risks, and stepping out of their comfort zones.”

The results were as follows:
Fear — 83%
Pride — 17%
Shame — 0%
Denial — 0%

The overwhelming answer was fear. Fear certainly kept me stuck for years.
Fear of admitting I had a problem. Fear of asking for help. Fear of what others would think of me. Fear of losing what I had worked for—or the people I loved. Fear of not getting what I wanted or thought I deserved. Fear of failure.

Fear ruled my life and it paralyzed me.

But eventually I realized something: fear wasn't really the root of my problem. For me, much of it came from self-centeredness, selfishness, and a lack of trust.

Think about how often fear sounds like this:

“I'm afraid I’m not going to get something I want.”
or
“I'm afraid I'm going to lose something I already have.”

That “something” might be money, a relationship, a career, our health, our reputation, our status—or simply the future we imagined for ourselves.

Fear often comes from anticipating an outcome we don't want.
What began to change me was learning to trust that I don't control every outcome—and I don't have to.

God does.

Faith doesn't guarantee that everything will turn out the way I want. It means trusting that even when it doesn't, God can still use the outcome—for my growth, for someone else's good, to teach me something I need to learn, or as part of a much larger plan I simply can't see yet.

Maybe the question isn't:
“Why is fear keeping me stuck?”

Maybe it's:
“Why can't I trust that even an outcome I don't want can still have purpose?”

Because when you trust that any outcome has value, you have no need to fear!

Open the door, what’s behind it might not be as frightening as you think. It could be something really sweet! (And a tax-deductible donation!)