Fear, or I've Stopped?

When I was younger I loved roller coasters. I thought they were the most beautiful things on earth. I knew everything about them, including the stats of the record holders (tallest, fastest, etc.), the ground-breaking ones that changed the industry, and the famous parks that housed the good ones. I knew everything except for what it felt like to be on one  I had gone on little ones, but when opportunities came for me to ride the ones I knew about, I was too afraid to.

Fear is fascinating. It stops things. It becomes a problem when we are governed by it, when we let it influence important and meaningful decisions. And when we let it influence our relationships.

Relationships are built on honesty and commitment. Fear can stop us from being honest. And it can stop us from being committed. It can keep us from pursuing or developing relationships.

Fear is subtle. It can be hard to recognize when we are being motivated by our fears. But, if we don't recognize them, we'll continually be negatively inspired by them.

The opposite of fear is confidence. Or faith. Faith in Jesus Christ is just that: confidence in Jesus Christ. We trust Him and what He says. We trust that as we live His teachings, we will be happy. Even though our lives may seem to be a mess or out of our control, or our future seems unknown and unnerving, we trust that He knows what is best for us and that He has perfect control over our situation. We trust that He wants to help us and that He has all power to do so. He will always keep all of His promises. 

We fight our fears through faith in Him. We trust that He can and will help us become who we really want to be.