On Fear

Over the weekend I watched as these men fearlessly dangled from cables along the side of a high-rise to hang an advertisement. At least, I assume they did it fearlessly. But then again, maybe not (more on them in a bit). Anyway, it got me thinking about fear and about the specific things that scare me.  

All of us have fears, and I find it fascinating how varied and wide-ranging they are. A friend of mine fears the sun and its mighty power to destroy Earth with its heat. Several loved ones are afraid of flying. Neither of these things scares me in the slightest, although I do have my own little list of fears (namely snakes and crossing over bridges). Lately, there's one fear that's been preoccupying my thoughts. It's rather personal so I won't elaborate, but I will say this:  if your fear is holding you back -in other words:  keeping you from moving forward- maybe it's time to take a calculated risk (this admonition is for my benefit, too).  

Back to the guys in the photo. Perhaps some of them really are afraid of what they're doing, but they've weighed the pros and cons and, based on appearances, recognize a greater benefit in doing rather than not.

In closing, some inspiring words on the topic of fear from Mark Batterson, a risk taker whom I admire:

• The greatest breakthroughs in your life will happen when you push through the fear. The defining moments will double as the scariest decisions.
• The only God-ordained fear is the fear of God.
• [Lion chasers] expose themselves to the sources of their terror because they know it is the only way to overcome them.

And from Scripture:

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.  -1John 4:18