Do not be afraid…
Fear is an interesting thing. From a biblical perspective we see the words “Do not be afraid” lots of places. Mostly in places any normal person would be afraid. Angels surrounded the shepherds at the birth of Christ and the first thing they said was ‘Fear Not!’. Now I don’t know how you would react but if a bunch of angels suddenly surrounded me I might need to change my clothes.
We deal with a lot of fear today. Fear of a double dip recession. Fear of unemployment. Fear of foreclosure. Fear of terrorists. I talked to several of the folks I serve in my business and listened to them talk about their fears.
Some fear is good for you. Several years ago I was on a trip with my Uncle Richard. We took our motorcycles and headed to the Great Smokey Mountains.
During the trip we decided to hike up one of the mountains called Chimney Tops (I think, it’s been a long time) and for 2 miles we went up a trail that was winding and fairly easy.
At the top of the trail there was a wall.
It had a pretty steep incline and I watched my uncle scamper up that and as I watched him I felt the fear climb in me. I don’t like heights. I am OK on a 6ft ladder but when I get over that it gets a little tougher. Now I was debating in my head if I should go up or just be happy with the limited view I had from where I was and I heard this little girl’s voice talking to her dad as they were climbing down from the top.
She said “Daddy, I’m afraid” (and I thought to myself, ‘me too’).
I heard her dad say “Good, it helps you hold on better”.
At that point something changed for me. The fear that was beginning to paralyze me disappeared and while I was not reckless in my ascent and descent I was on the move and enjoyed a great view from the top. I overcame a fear that really should not have been there. Cautious yes, fearful no. That turned out great for me.
“Fearless doesn’t really mean without fear but in practice it means unafraid of things that one should not be afraid of . Being fearless is sleeping soundly before the big presentation to the board. The fear is about an imagined threat, so avoiding the fear allows you to actually accomplish something. (*note 1)”
I lived that on Chimney Tops with the help of a little girl’s dad.
My point is that we need to examine the things that hold us back and determine if we are being fearful or being cautious. Fear will prevent us from doing all we can do and limits us in our progress. Being cautious protects us from being foolish and reckless and is a very good thing but they are easily confused.
I think fear is generated by the unknown. Things outside our ability to control. Terror attacks are outside our control. Double dip recessions and unemployment are outside our control. We control what we do today. What are you going to do? Wanna climb a mountain with me?
Thanks for listening. If I can do anything to help you please give me a call. I am here to help.
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578 Cell
*Note 1 – quoted from Linchpin by Seth Godin