By Dusty (Reflections on the Life of a Christian)
I have been afraid of a lot of things in my life. They range from the common to the unusual. Some fears cripple while others nag. Every one of them has kept me from doing or enjoying something in my life.
I believe most everyone has suffered from such fears. While some may deny it or hide it, everyone is afraid of something. Here is a list of common fears:
- Disappointment
- Failure
- Ridicule
- Rejection
- Injury/Death
- Unknown
- Abandonment
None of those have ever applied to you? Are you sure?
Well then, maybe I am the oddball (but I think not!) because I can think of a lot of instances where I suffered from one or more of those. For a guy, a lot of them might come into play when seeing a girl we like and wanting to ask them out. For a child, they may surface in their desire to please their parents or other authority figures. But fear is not limited to gender relations or age.
Fears haunt us our entire lives. They affect how we relate with others, but more importantly, they affect how we relate to God:
- We hesitate or refuse to give a public testimony of our commitment to Him.
- We know God wants us to do something, but we shy away from it because of the "risk".
- God wants us to trust Him, but we rely on our own ability because its limitations are known.
- We hesitate to share His love one on one with others because we might not do it right or they may respond in a negative manner.
Do I need to go on?
Lest you think I am accusing anyone of being controlled by fear instead of God... Let me just tell you: I have been guilty of all of those. I won’t detail every one of them, but I will share one in particular that God used to make a difference in my life. What follows is a true story:
I grew up as a missionary kid. I graduated from Samford University with a degree in Religion. I was a licensed minister in the state of Alabama, and had served on staff at two churches as Minister of Youth/Associate Minister of Music. I had even been the interim pastor of a small church outside of Childersburg, AL. I went to work full time at a Christian mission’s magazine publisher. I had even been through witnessing training programs and had seen several come to know the Lord.
I had no excuse to be afraid of what was about to transpire. I had been there before. I had all the training one could get... Yet fear overpowered me.
I boarded a plane for the return trip to Birmingham, AL after attending a conference in New York. As I sat down next to a sweet older lady, I felt impressed to share the gospel with her... But I didn't. As soon as I felt led to share, I rejected the notion. After all, I did not know her and I was going to be stuck in the seat next to her for at least the next two hours... What if she responded in a negative manner?
As I sat there, arguing with myself and God about whether or not I was going to share the truth of God's love and grace with her, something completely unexpected happened that shamed me, the preacher boy, to the core.
That sweet little old lady, put down her knitting as she looked at me through brimming eyes of love. With a voice weakened by age, she softly spoke these three life-changing words:
“Jesus loves you.”
She was courageous enough to do that which I could not… or better said, I would not. Her statement unleashed a torrent of emotion from me. At first she was shocked and did not know what to do, but as I shared with her my background and the struggle I had been in the midst of when she spoke those words to me, she understood.
She reached into her knitting bag and withdrew a well worn Bible and assuredly turned to the following passage which was highlighted:
"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord [...] And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. " (2 Timothy 1:7-8, 11-14)
To this day, I vividly remember that encounter. I share it with you to say, do not let your fear overpower your relationship with God and His leading on your life. He is able to overcome any situation and do immeasurably more than we could ever imagine. In Him, our eternal victory is secured. We have no reason to fear and every reason to trust and obey. We are not alone, for wherever we are, there He is with us.
"What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." (2 Timothy 1:13-14)
Has your fear been holding you back? Will you trust Him to guide you through?
Dusty Rayburn is a lay minister and fellow blogger. He lives in Locust Fork, Alabama, has been married six years and has one amazing daughter. In his words: "I am a Christian. I am not perfect, nor do I imagine I ever will be. My God is perfect. I am forgiven. I am loved. I am His." You can find him on Twitter and at Reflections on the Life of a Christian.