I’ve got a four letter word that often tries to mess with my life: fear.
Recently, I was thinking about how fear tries to halt me and stunt me from walking in obedience and (in a non-millennial catch phrase way) from living my best life.
You see, my best life is one that trades that four letter word for the five letter word: brave.
When I see the choice to be brave show up in my life, I see myself taking Jesus seriously that I really can do all things through Him who strengthens me. He tells me that the secret to being content in any and every situation is that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:12-13)
The fact that I struggle with fear so much reveals a lot about myself as a person. Yes, I’m an enneagram 6, but I am also a person who has lived through a lot of worst case scenarios. It’s natural for me to fear more worst case scenarios and want to stay home and hide under a pile of blankets until the scary things of life pass me by. But the truth is, there is nothing I can do to prevent anything and everything bad from happening to me. That’s where the choice to be brave comes in.
I can choose to be brave and to listen to where God is leading me and then to go there, despite the risk of something going wrong…or even something going right. Or, I can let fear dictate my every move and really not move much at all.
I don’t know about you, but I want to move forward in life. I want to live my life well. I only have one.
You only have one life to live, too. We hear all the time that we should make it count. But how can we possibly make our lives count if we don’t count the cost and then move forward courageously? We aren’t moving alone, you know. God is with us. He is Emmanuel.
Your courage and your counted cost come after listening to what God says in His Word, rightly dividing it, and applying it to the life He has given you. All the things God made, He called, “good.” He made your life. He called your life, “good” when He made it and He filled it with His good purposes.
You won’t stay good. Not by yourself. But with Jesus as your Master, He will help you overcome all that your life lacks to become all that He has purposed for you to be. Lean into His goodness and His perfection. Let the pressure of being good enough and far less than perfect be lifted. Choose to bravely walk in obedience to His calling over your life. Choose to walk in hope instead of fear. Choose to be brave with the power of Christ.
Yes, my friend, trade in the four letter word of fear for the five letter word of brave. Jesus is more. Jesus is the best source of power when it comes to being brave.