Don't Be Scared

Picture by Caprice Miller

   “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”   – 2 Timothy 1:7

 This picture looks like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, “The Birds”.  It’s not often that a moment like this is captured.  Chances are you’re recovering from a near heart attack before you remember to get your camera out.  (Way to be steady and ready, Caprice.) Caprice did mention that “the word on the street was that the cow in the picture used to be solid black.”  It’s interesting how so many of us love a good scare occasionally.  I’m sure that’s why Hitchcock was so successful and so many suspenseful movies are such big box office hits.  For some, though, being scared or fearful is no laughing matter.  Fear has been known to cause physical and psychological harm.   It has also been known to stop someone from stepping out and becoming the person God intended them to be.  

Here’s a thought to ponder:  In many cases, not all, the psychological effects of fear could bring about more harm than the actual reality of what is feared in the first place.  For example, we never saw the monster under the bed, but it was certainly scary in our minds.  As we grew older we were petrified as adolescents by what others might be thinking of us.  The reality was probably that either they weren’t thinking of you, they had positive thoughts about you or they were just wondering the same thing about you.  And as adults, fear detours our dreams and aspirations so we never step out to try what we truly desire because of the fear of failure.  We end up being on the sidelines of life cheering for those who have defeated fear and look at them with a twinge of envy wishing we had the courage to do the same. 

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he was reminding him of something similar.  In Timothy’s case it was encouraging him to not be afraid to profess Christ in his life.  As Christians, it seems to be easy to forget that we are living life from a place of victory that has already been won through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  How exciting is that!  And yet, so many of us approach life with what Paul calls “a spirit of fear and timidity…”  Imagine what we could do if we actually lived in that spirit of “…power, love and self-discipline.”  We would have the courage to step out and pursue that dream that God has placed in our hearts.  We would pray high-risk prayers and not fear that God might actually answer them.  And we might just influence others in our life to know Christ as we do because we are actually giving Him the glory for this new found courage. 

Be encouraged today.  Don’t allow fear to paralyze you and prevent you from stepping out into God’s purpose for your life.   Ask God to help you tap into that spirit of power, love and self-discipline as you step out from a place of victory in Him.