Isn’t It Funny?
You know, when you can't get something out of your head it can mean two things. Scenario one. Let's say you're looking at a delicious piece of chocolate cake. You haven't had chocolate in a while and that whole cake sitting in front of you just seems too good to be true and you probably can't live without it. Maybe you've been really good about NOT eating too many sweets recently and now there’s no stopping you. That cake is about to be conquered by your mighty craving.
Or scenario two. You think about cakes a lot, but not because you want to stuff your face with them. Maybe you have been wanting to start a bakery your whole life and it finally gets to a point where you daydream about yourself baking and owning a shop where people come to taste and buy your sweet treats. This becomes something you find yourself thinking about all. The. Time.
Okay. I'm not starting a bakery or anything, but hear me out. What is that one thing you always come back to that you see yourself doing? I'm talking about a dream you may have had since you were little and you eventually gave up on. Maybe it’s something that you push away in fear because every time you think about it you are afraid of one thing. Well, maybe you are afraid of a lot of things but it all boils down to one fear.
Failure.
This is something we all face. We all have fears that seem to dictate the way we live our lives, if we let them. Some of them are healthy, I believe. For example, we shouldn't just go jumping off cliffs because the water below looks nice (yes, I speak from experience). However, I think lots of times, fear seems to keep us from doing things that could actually be good for us. Having an honest conversation with someone we care about, taking the step to apply to that school, giving God your heart when you feel like you can't handle life on your own. There is freedom in letting go and acting on those things.
There's one movie scene that always comes to mind when I think about this concept. Anyone out there an Indiana Jones fan? Well, I am. There's a scene in my favorite movie of the series, The Last Crusade (yes yes, there are many lame Bible references throughout the movie), but one scene always got me where he walks out onto nothing to get to the other side. Let me paint the picture for you. Indiana Jones' father has been shot and Indiana has to find the Holy Grail cup for his father to drink so he will live. In his quest, Indiana reaches an edge that hovers over a deep cliff which would surely kill him if he were to fall. Most inconveniently, his destination is on the other side of the deep ravine. How does he get there? He picks up a handful of rocks and throws them across the cavern. Surprisingly, the rocks don't fall. They stay suspended in midair. With his suspicions confirmed (of the invisible walkway) he runs across to retrieve the Holy Grail for his father. Yes, what happened on the other side was dark and almost killed them all, but.. I digress. Just watch the movie and you'll see. What I'm saying is that when we take steps of faith, something amazing happens.
Let's be honest. We make failure out to be this extremely scary monster that will eat you alive or mark you forever with some scarlet letter and you will never succeed again. Anyone? Just me? Fear of failure can sometimes even make us try to avoid failure by not actually doing anything, but as we know from the story of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, trying to go after the dreams in our heart is worth more than doing nothing at all. One key point of that story in Matthew was to not underestimate what you have been given just because someone seems to have received more.
As I have gotten older, (which is a fancy way of saying I have made A LOT of bad decisions), it turns out that I'm doing okay. And failure is a pretty good teacher. Mostly to tell me that I am in need of a Savior and that I can't do everything on my own, and the things I do have I don't deserve. The grounding factor that will keep failure from sinking into your heart is this - knowing your worth isn't based on your actions, you are worth more than your mistakes, and you are capable of success. Fear will suffocate all your dreams if you let it. Faith will give them air to breathe and flourish. Don't get me wrong, doing nothing is easier. But regret is a close friend of that attitude. Don't let regret have a chance in your life. Take the step. Trust God. Know that he will catch you.
Isn't it funny? That the things we are most afraid of often reveal some of who we are. Don't let fear dictate your life. Let God lead you and let faith show you the way.
