What Are Some Things That You Fear?
When you read the title of this post, you will probably think about things like spiders, snakes, heights, and so on. Clearly there are legitimate reasons to be afraid of some of those things, but I’m talking about the fears that you have that subconsciously guide the way you live… What I am getting at in this post is something deeper. Most people who are afraid of spiders do not live their lives constantly thinking about spiders. They are only afraid when they see one! Often times I think we don’t really notice some of our fears because they seem less creepy and more normal.
For me, I tend to worry a lot and I overanalyze everything! One fear I have is when I need to make a major decision, I often have a fear of being wrong. Then after I make the decision, I doubt whether or not I did the right thing. I think part of this is my perfectionistic personality where I set my standards at unattainable levels. Another fear that is related to this is a fear of man. I fear what people will think of me if I make a bad decision. I know deep down that what matters most is how God sees me, but I confess that I am often more fearful of what human beings think about me than what God thinks. I also tend to have a fear of missing out. This can work two ways for me. A lot of times I am looking for perfection. I don’t want to jump and do something because I am afraid something better may come along. This can be applied many ways in my life. One way is with how I spend my money. Sometimes when I feel pressured into buying something, I do it because I am afraid that I may not get a better deal. Other times, I fear buying something because I am afraid something better may present itself. Another way is with dating. Sometimes I have pursued girls that I knew were not right for me because I had a fear of missing out if no one better came along. Other times, I have been hesitant to ask a girl out because I had fears that someone better might come along (or that she would say no). Unfortunately all three of these fears have the tendency to cause a lot of worry and anxiety in my life.
I am assuming I am not the only one like this, so what do we do with all of this anxiety? There are at least two things we should think about, but both are easier to say than to truly believe. The first is, God is in control. I don’t say this in a deterministic sort of way as if we are all puppets that really have no ability to choose and make decisions. No, I believe God allows human beings to have the freedom to make choices even if they aren’t always the ones God prefers. I also believe that nothing happens unless God allows it. He is God. He can intervene if he wants. There have been many times in my life where I was headed down a path and hit a brick wall. In those instances, I can choose to keep banging my head against the wall (which unfortunately many people do). Or I can turn around and assume God is leading me in another direction. The second thing is, God cares. Take a second and think about that. There are close to 7 billion people on earth, and God cares about you… He knows what you are going through and he knows what you fear even if you don’t even recognize it. If we trust God to lead us in our lives, he will. If we don’t trust God to lead us in our lives, he wont. A good Bible verse that sums both of these concepts up is 1 Peter 5:6-7. It says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.” Whatever you are afraid of today, remember that God is in control and he cares about you.
