When Fear Cripples You
What if I die? I don't want to do this. It isn't worth the risk. Babe don't you understand? Why would you make me do this?!
These are all the things I was screaming out approximately two weeks ago as I waited with my husband and daughter to board the infamous Medusa roller coaster ride at Six Flags. The funny thing is that getting season passes to the park was my idea. It was something I had done for my girls every year when they were younger, and I was excited about the possibility of reliving some of those memories. You know: eating funnel cakes, a few kiddie rides, exploring the animal zone....all the SAFE and fun things! LOL! But here is the one thing I didn't factor in, my husband. You see, he is the ultimate thrill seeker. He loves anything that involves the danger of potentially losing your life, while I prefer to sit on the sidelines and watch.
So, back to family night at the park with my husband the thrill seeker, who is oozing with excitement about us getting on all the rides. As he turned to me and asked if I was ready, I immediately said no, but paused and followed up by telling him I would walk to the ride and wait for them. He responded by reminding me that I made him sky dive alone a few months back and begged me not to let him go alone this time. I felt bad and agreed, but the moment we approached the ride I was overtaken with fear. I mean ever fiber in my body began to tingle and shut down. Initially my daughter and husband thought I was playing, but as tears welled up in my eyes they both realized I was serious. As we moved up in line I slightly calmed down and my hubby jokingly took a picture of me covering my face for a social media post. I immediately took a deep breathe, exhaled and thought I was going to make it, until I sat in the seat and secured the seat belt. I instantly melted again and began to regret getting on the ride. At that point is was to late to get off, so I began to pray, gripped the seat for my life and closed my eyes. I screamed a couple of "help me Jesus" and "Oh Lord"'s along the way to survive as were were tossed upside down and all around.
Now, you may be reading this and thinking I'm crazy, but there is something about fear that causes us to SHUT DOWN physically and mentally, and the only way to get past it is to confront the fear.
Once the ride was over I was filled with relief and proud of myself for hanging on. I excitedly turned to my husband and told him that I was still afraid but willing to get on a few more rides with him. You see, after the first ride my fear wasn't gone, but I realized I could make it through and was ready for the next battle. As the day went on and we conquered more rides I began to ask myself why I was so afraid, especially as I recalled being fearless and tackling bigger rides as a kid. What was ultimately revealed was my remembrance of having one bad experience on a ride as a teen that devastated me, and the more I thought about it the more I realized that I had not been back on any major rides since that expereince.
What happened with me avoiding rides after that one encounter is what often happens to us in other areas of life. We have bad experiences or are unaware of what lays ahead of us, and anything that resembles the fear we develop approaches we avoid it. You may not be afraid of roller coasters like me, but what other things in life have you avoided out of fear of failure? What dreams have you placed on hold because you had a bad experience when chasing a dream as a child or teen? What business are you refusing to launch because your first attempt wasn't successful? What relationships or connections are you avoiding based upon one person letting you down? That's right! The same fear that crippled me and brought me to tears at Six Flags is the same fear that is keeping your from Pursuing YOUR Purpose and cultivating meaningful connections. And just like my thrill seeking husband, God is on the other end of your fear asking you to trust Him and go on the ride with Him! If you give it a chance and ride the first wave with Him, He'll show you that He has a plan for you and you'll be ready to take on whatever comes next!
If you have been experiencing fear in your life I want you to ask yourself these questions:
Where did the fear come from and when did it develop?
Is my fear real? What are the chances of negative impact?
Do I have a support system to encourage me through facing my fear?
Do I trust God to replace my fear with faith?
Asking these questions can really help you in making the step toward addressing the fears you have related to Pursuing Your Purpose. You see God did not give us the spirit of fear, but of POWER, love, and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7). This means that when we recognize fear we need to use our power and sound mind to address it. Usually there is something absolutely amazing on the other side of the fear that has stopped us in our tracks! As I take on the rest of this year, I plan to ride more rides and to continue facing the fear that my husband helped me face two weeks ago. I hope you will do the same and begin to face the fears in your life!
I love you #faithfriend and can't wait to see you PURSUING Your PURPOSE!
Purposefully yours,
Lady V
Check out more from Lady V by listening to her Podcast here: https://anchor.fm/vanika-lewis