Am I living with fear?
My initial reaction to that question is to scoff and give a little laugh. Me? Living in fear? Child please.
I am a physically fit 24 year old guy who doesn’t scare easy, can bungee jump off bridges, live out of a backpack for almost a year, move around the world at the drop of a pin and have absolutely no doubt where I’m spending eternity. I don’t have fears.
This past week though, I realized that I am in fact living right now with a fear.
You see, the past 6 months of my World Race have been incredible. There has been a lot of growth, a lot of change, and a continuous molding into the man that God has created me to be.
My fear is that after the World Race I’ll take a ‘step back’ and revert back to some of my old ways, falling back into old struggles.
That I’ll struggle with pornography.
That I’ll struggle with pride.
That I’ll struggle with a desire for wealth.
That I’ll struggle with living for the value of others opinions.
Things that I’ve broken free from, grown by leaps and bounds and legitimately never want to struggle with again.
The World Race can sometimes feel like an alternate reality, a place apart from the ‘real world’. It is in a way, but it doesn’t mean that the development and changes that happen while on this mission trip can’t transition to what comes next.
Yes I’ve had struggles in life….who hasn’t. Those struggles though don’t need to continue to affect my life through fear.
The best way to conquer fears are to get them into the light. So here’s my public proclamation. My community knows it. My friends and family know it. Now they can encourage and support me, speak life into the lies that can fester and grow when we keep them oppressed…eternally battling the darkness.
Are you living with fear?
I encourage you to dig a little deeper if you have the same initial reaction as me. Bring it to the light. Share with your community because we aren’t meant to conquer fears alone…lean on those closest to you.
It’s not always easy but the first way to overcome a fear is to simply realize you have one.
Thanks so much for all the prayers! We are traveling to the southern part of Malawi today to spend the month living in the predominantly Muslim part of the country. I can’t wait to see what God has in store!
It’s going to be an incredible month 7. No fear.
