I was thinking about being fearless today. There is so much talk about being fearless, becoming a strong, stubborn, determined person who won’t be afraid of anything. But another side of fearlessness came to me.
You can’t be fearless unless you face fear. You can’t avoid fear, or ignore it, or turn your back on it. The key is to look straight at all the things we’re afraid of and address them in prayer, directly asking God to deal with all of the aspects of whatever it is that is making us afraid.
I would like to be fearless but sometimes I think that if I just put something out of my mind, I won’t let the fear in. That might work with little fears. I’m afraid of finding a snake in the garage, so I always turn on the light so it shines into all the corners and then I’m not afraid. Some fears are picked up from others, from the news, from the internet, and it’s hard not to be affected by fear and let it invade your day.
This week my daughter flew across the world. I’ve been hearing about several airline crashes, and it’s hard not to be afraid for her as she travels, but I did what I could do. I framed a very thorough prayer, taking every scary possibility and pleading God’s protection over her. I lit a candle to remind myself to continue to pray. I spent the day thinking of her and praying for her and taking all of those concerns and dealing with them straight in the face. Then when she told me she was safely at her destination with friends who will look after her, I thanked God for His protection for her every step of the way.
Facing fear requires faith, believing that God truly is in control of all the aspects of our lives and that He is greater than all of the scary things we have to face. But then, they’re not so scary when we face them with faith. Faith is what makes us fearless!