Sometimes you have to face your fears in order to experience the incredible views.
That is what I had to do this weekend. Our team left for a 5 hour van ride to go to a village where we were going to ride elephants.On the way the road was full of bumps, traffic, twists and turns. We were passed by countless semis that would come within inches of the side of our van.
That has how it has been all month. Scary traffic. After a traumatic car accident it is easy for me to be dramatic. When riding in Micros(crowded vans),and taxis I used to only look at the people inside the vehicle I am riding in. I would do this in order to distract myself from what is going on outside.If I was really scared I would close my eyes or look at the ground. I would sing to myself Nora’s favorite Les Mis song “Look down! Look Down…”. When I passed anything that looked like more than a five foot drop off I would cringe.
This weekend I started to face my fears little by little. The journey was scarier than before, but the reward was even greater. When I looked out the window of the van I saw villages. I saw people eating at little restaurants, children playing games, and other children waving in their school uniforms. But that wasn’t the best part. Looking out at the landscape I saw an incredibly painted canvas. God had painted for me mountains and trees that reminded me of home. He had painted really cool looking suspension bridges and the most beautiful flowing river.The river was a greenish blue and complete with waterfalls. I was awestruck by the beauty of it all.
But, what if I had never looked up or outside of the car? I would have robbed myself of experiencing the beauty and majesty of God’s creation. I think as humans we tend to do that a lot. We rob ourselves of experiencing life to the fullest because we let our fears hold us back.We hold back in relationships because we are afraid to trust. We are afraid of commitment.We are afraid to love. We have experienced so much hurt in our lives, and it has created so many fears within us. We hold back in experiences. We let things like finances and time become excuses because deep down we do not trust the Lord’s provision. I personally want to live differently. I want to let my faith be greater than my fears. I want to be able to love without restraint and trust God’s provision in every aspect of my life. I encourage you to desire to do the same thing. I don’t want anyone to miss out on the incredible views God has for us. Let your faith be bigger than your fear. Even if it starts with simply looking out the window.
