Things done
well and with care, exempt themselves from fear – William Shakespeare
Prologue:
I began writing the following entry
while sitting in the Southwest Airlines Terminal at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
in Phoenix, Arizona during a three and a half hour delay waiting on a return
flight to what would be my final few weeks in Nashville, TN.
Over the
course of one’s life, there will come a time when fear rears its ugly head.
Times of doubt and uncertainty about one's future will cause even the most fearless
of us to question the outcome of a pursuit. I myself have had moments where I
became fearful that I may have made a mistake or exercised poor judgment
regarding my future. I have had the perfect plan in place, crossed all of my
ts and dotted all of my Is and still was worried if I had made the right
decision or pursued the correct course of action. It’s when we give in to doubt
and uncertainty is when the enemy attacks us. Fear is a condition that requires
nourishment. In order to conquer fear you have to cut off its food supply. The
more you give in to feelings of uncertainty and doubt, the better fed your fear
will become. So much so that it will become so prevalent in your life that it
could and/ or will paralyze you. As recently as this week I have entertained
thoughts of fear and uncertainty. Thoughts of whether or not I made the right
decision concerning my relocating west to Sunny Arizona. The funny thing is that
prior to last week, I felt that I had absolutely made the right decision. The
reason for my “sudden” bout with anxiety is absolutely and totally related to
fatigue which a good friend of mine had to remind me is a trick of the enemy.
You see the closer you are to your breakthrough and to where the Lord wants you
to be, the more of an attempt the enemy makes to tire you out. Fatigue
causes one to have a very short attention span. It is during these times that
we have to stay disciplined and to keep our eye on the goal, destination,
objective or prize. As for me, the prize is peace and serenity. Right
now during this transition I’m a little short on both. But the thing that keeps
me going is my faith that God has orchestrated this move. That His will for me
is to move west to put myself in position to receive his best. Please believe
that I spent many a night on my face talking to the Most High about whether or
not this was His will for my life. I have to be honest, it wasn’t the Lord I
doubted, it was my ability to interpret what the LORD was saying to me. There
are times when even the clearest message from God can get lost in all the
chatter and white noise of our daily grind. I have been on the move since I
received confirmation from God to accept this position. Packing, transferring
services, shoring up contacts, spending time with fam and friends, purging
years of unused items and toxic relationships, learning a new skill set all
while preparing myself to leave everything I have ever known for the last
thirty plus years behind to start a new life in a new place. Needless to say,
at times this proved to be a bit exhausting. However, most transitions are.
This was what the Lord kept bringing to my remembrance as I went about the
day-to-day tasks of relocating. I thank Almighty God for His love and guidance,
a praying and loving family and phenomenal friends. I surely would not have
made it this far without them.
You know the
interesting thing about this entire transition? There has not been one minute
where I questioned whether or not God was in the midst of it. His fingerprints
are all over it. The seamlessness of so many aspects of the change, the
fearlessness I have experienced up until this point, the kindness and support I
have received both in Nashville and in my newly adopted home of Scottsdale.
Everyone’s willingness to help make my transition as comfortable as possible.
People I barely even know. Now tell me that is not God doing what He does best...Showing
up and showing out. Now I understand
that everyone out there does not believe as I believe. That is your choice.
Some out there don’t believe in a Supreme Being that intercedes in the affairs
of those that place their trust solely in Him. Well I am here to say that after
all that I have seen and experienced over the course of my life and especially
within the last month, I am more convinced of God’s existence now than I have
ever been in my entire life. You see you would have to truly know my back story
to truly understand my previous statement. Here’s the short version. I was
raised in the church. Southern Baptist born and bred. But hear me when I say there
is a distinct difference between having your spirituality spoon fed to you and
knowing God for yourself. Until you have been through a storm, you never truly
appreciate a beautiful sunlit day. Trust
me, I have been through my share of storms and am quite sure that before I
close my eyes for the last time that I will experience plenty more. However,
what keeps me encouraged is the fact that no matter how horrible the storms of
my life get and no matter how many times my flesh wanted me to give up and give
in – I didn’t. Not because I’m so strong. Not because I had all of the answers
or because I'm just “the man”. It was because at the end of all things, it is only
by the Grace of God and by his mercifulness that I made it through. I am only a
survivor because of the one who is my Provider. Say what you will, but I will
take a limitless source over a limited source any day. Consider which one you
place your trust in. Government, friends, family, material possessions, jobs,
money will all come and go. The love of God has no expiration date and is
completely unconditional. He loves us so much that he gave us something of His
that is most precious expecting nothing in return. Can any of the
aforementioned people or things honestly say or provide that? If you are
blessed enough to have the type of fam and friends (true friends) that I have
you can probably say yes. As for the other items on that list well…not so much.
But that’s for another entry.
In my humble
opinion, fear is condition that arises from placing one’s trust into the wrong
things. Fear also arises out of a lack of perceived control. I say perceived
control because when it’s all said and done there is very little in this world
that we have absolute control over. All we can truly do is insure that the
thing that we place our trust in has God in the center of it. I’ll give you a few examples of when fear
arises from distrust.
People fear
losing a mate because they have placed their heart in the hands of someone they
do not completely trust.
People fear
losing a loved one because they have placed their trust in the fact that there
will be time to make things right or let them know that they love the one they
fear losing.
People who
place their trust in Government fear regime change.
People who
place their trust in their job and job security fear layoffs and unemployment.
People who
place their trust in “their plan” fear failure.
These are
just few examples of how misplaced trust can lead to fear. Hear me when I
say in order to live a fruitful, peaceful, and productive life .... Fear is not
an option. The Word of God even alludes to this in 2 Timothy first chapter
seventh verse:
“For God hath
not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound
mind.”
Now I
understand that being fearless in the face of uncertainty and opposition can
sometimes be easier said than done. I understand that sometimes we can’t see
the forest for the trees. Nevertheless the important thing to remember is that
there is a forest. That on the other side of that problem that keeps staring
you in the face and keeping you awake at night is a solution. That anxiety and
doubt are only temporary. The only way they become permanent is when we decide
to stay in or with what ever is causing it. It’s ok to get frustrated. It’s ok to be afraid. You’re human
after all and we are ALL emotional beings. It’s ok to let these feelings and
emotions in. Just don’t let them stay. Life has taught me that the best remedy
for emotional distress is movement. When feeling “blue” or whenever I experience
feelings of anxiety and fear, I find that moving is the best way to divert my focus.
Besides it’s much harder to hit a moving target than it is to hit a
stationary one. Physical activity makes
the mind focus on the activity and not the source of your anxiety or distress.
Work out, do some yard work, go for a walk or a jog, wash the whip, walk the
dog, shoot hoops, Yoga, Tai Chi, anything that gets you moving can be both
cleansing and therapeutic. The point is to get your mind to shift its focus.
Never underestimate the power of thoughts. Your mental state can make all the
difference in your quality of life. Don’t be deceived. Fear begins in the mind.
The problem with a great many of us is that we allow the enormity of an
undertaking psyche us out before we even start the task. In other words, we let
our negative thoughts and the negativity of others prevent us from doing what’s
necessary to experience the best life has to offer. You are stronger than you
think that you are. The opinions of others in the grand scheme of things means
absolutely nothing because when it’s all over and the dust settles, it is the
effort that you put forth to make your life better is what the Most High
rewards. It is also that effort that will either make you ecstatic or
miserable. Ecstatic that you gave it all you had and reaped a bountiful harvest
or miserable because you know that you could have done more and didn’t which
caused you miss out on obtaining life’s best. There has been many a deathbed
confession to the latter. As I always and will continually say, God honors
effort. This is a season of harvest. All those years of sewing are about to pay
off. Do not let fear rob you of your breakthrough. Don’t let fear rob of you of
the opportunity to experience the very best that this life has to offer. Live
life, don’t let it live you and live on purpose. Believe in yourself, love
yourself enough to not let your fears get the best of you. Let it have it's place,
for there is a time and place for everything under the sun. Then press on.
Press on knowing that all things are possible to him who believes (Mark 9:3).
In closing, I leave you with something a dear
friend told me that I pray blesses you:
“‘Be more afraid
of the consequences of taking no action than you the fear outcome or
repercussions of the action itself.”
An option by definition is a choice and life is all about choices. Make sure that fear isn't one of them.
An option by definition is a choice and life is all about choices. Make sure that fear isn't one of them.
