Happy New Year! Or, in other words, welcome to a few weeks
of crossing out the date you write because it’s the wrong year. Kidding aside, 2015 is here. Remarkable, isn’t it? I suppose we’re all wondering where 2014 went. I know I am. However, I’m also looking forward to where 2015 will take me. The end of last year brought a flurry of changes for me, so I’ll be adjusting to them as this year gets underway. I know God’s got some things to teach me; I’ve just got to open my ears, eyes, and heart to Him.
A few weeks ago, I blogged about courage. But, the thing is, I hadn’t yet figured out what courage is. It was one of my words for 2014. I don’t know if you’ve heard of this, but some people choose One Word to define each coming year. I’ve never done that before, and I don’t necessarily plan on making it a habit. As I talked to God at the beginning of 2014, though, four words struck me, and I’ve subsequently blogged on each of them: Diligence, Initiative, Love, and, finally, Courage. Thus, my post on Courage was a planned post. And, though I did indeed have many opportunities to practice courage last year, I missed a key aspect of its personal application in my life until after I wrote that post.
Despite being an extrovert and loving people, I tend to be a bit of a fraidy-cat. I will literally cross the entire store to use the self-checkout instead of using one of the many open checkout lanes. I avoid eye contact with people I know when I spot them in town. I have a near panic attack when I’m preparing for a job interview.
And I came to a realization about a month ago: THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I am perfectly capable of confidence, yet I choose not to practice it. What? That moment of discovery stopped me in my tracks. Communication is my forte – why do I shy away from it? I can lead. I can be strong. Why in the world do I choose not to?
It’s as if I’ve let myself be bound by this nameless fear. Am I scared to step out on my own? To trust God? What is it? I still don’t fully know. I do know this, though: it stops now. I am tired of being stressed out and strangled by fear. I can’t let it run my life anymore.
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| Courtesy of Pixabay |
I start college classes for the first time in less than two weeks. And for the past week, that has had me beyond stressed out. Today, I say no. You will no longer control me, fear. You, The Unknown, have no power over me. God has revealed an amazing path to me; He’s working out all the details. Do I truly think He’ll just abandon me now? No, I don’t. So, why should I be scared? I serve the God of the Universe, Who spoke the world into motion, Who sent His Son to die for me, Who has never let me fall. Today, I choose to trust in Him.
Have you been shying away from what God has for you because of fear? Have you, like me, been choosing to hold back on your potential? Let go of it. Fear’s not worth it.
I think courage is a fabulous word to live by this year. My word is brave, but that's pretty much the same word as courage, so I guess our words are very similar. I chose brave because it encompasses most of my goals for the new year. Writing wise, I want to push aside my fear of submission. Blogging wise, I want to push aside my fear of reaching out to authors for interviews or publicists for review copies. Reading wise, I want to push aside my fear of different genres and explore more. Thanks for this post, Rachelle. It was really inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I'll find myself living by it this year, as well! :D Courage can be a difficult concept to learn. :)
DeleteThose are fantastic goals, Ana! I hope you enjoy the journey as you reach them. I'm so glad you enjoyed this post! It was probably one of the most personal posts I've ever written. :)