#12 Fear: a conclusion

As I was thinking through how to wrap this up, what came to mind was the story I just finished living through. Around a year ago, I had to go car shopping. It was do-or-die time, as I had no working vehicle of my own. To make things worse, the day I was shopping was the day I had to return my rental. It was me, my mom, and a few friends that happened to be in town to see us. Few weeks have felt as slow and intense as that one was for me. I had to bet all my chips on one car, and all of my experience was telling me that I was destined to fail. I was taking my best shot, but with the confidence I had, I may as well have been digging my grave. 

Panic would have drowned me, but work was at its busiest, so I was able to keep myself distracted. But from the second I clocked out to the moment I finally managed to get to sleep, the tension sat on my chest like a car that I didn’t have. I reached out to a few people to ask that they pray for me, and the doors started opening. 

“If it rains on wednesday, I’m free to join you.” My mechanic-friend said. And sure enough when Wednesday came, it rained. I have never been so grateful for rain in my entire life. I had a small army at my side, and the tension started to ease. They took over when I had no clue what I was doing (which was most of it) and between all of our insights, we dodged several crappy choices. Eventually we settled on a car that gave me little-to-no issues for an entire year. 

It was a tough experience, and the pressure was anything but pretty. I tell you this story because a year later- just last week, I had to go car shopping again. It was almost the same situation. I had been rear-ended, and my offender’s insurance was going to take the car from me. I had one day to find a car before I had to get everything else into place. I rallied the troops, and although I was still somewhat stressed about it all, it was nowhere near as bad as it was the previous year. 

As I came home and reflected on all of this, I kept asking myself: why do I feel so much easier about it? Among everything else that I could talk about, it dawned on me just how powerful inoculation truly is. There is no replacement for getting out there and surviving the danger. Sure, you have to take the extra steps to properly overcome fear, but nothing will ever replace the ability to say “I’ve been here before.” If there’s only one thing that you get out of this entire experience, that would be it. 

And do remember, these posts were designed as a roadmap-a guide that helps you in the long run. The stronger the fear, the more time it will take to conquer it. Even then, fear was never meant to completely vanish from your life. You were meant to keep it in check, holding it hostage like a prisoner of war. And that’s exactly what it is sometimes: a war. There will be victories and defeats. Some days, you will watch as fear retreats. Other days, you will fall down, and it will feel like you’ve been taken out. 

But isn’t that true of life in general? Isn’t that how we live a lot of the time? Any time we strap on our combat boots, life gets in our way. Expect fear to show you its war face. But always remember that yours is far nastier. You are the conqueror of all that holds you back! You are the champion! You simply need to let all that power out and go for it!I would also advise you to pray during this. God tells us in the bible that we have been given a spirit of courage, not of fear. As you tackle fear and begin to live anew, pray for God’s strength on the days when yours fails. God wants to be there to tag in and help you conquer this beast. I believe that with all my heart. It will still take time, but together there’s no force anywhere in the universe that can stop you. You just need to ask for help. 

I pray that you have gotten something out of this series. As always, thank you for reading what I have to say. It means a lot to me. God has been growing me through these topics, so I have no choice but to believe that He’ll work in you too. I pray that you let Him meet you wherever you are, and that together you conquer the forces of fear and anxiety. I pray that you master yourself so that no guru can control you, and that you find yourself worry-free at the end of the day. 

And if you’re still reading, I’ll give you a little sneak peek at what’s coming next. The next series will be a little something I am calling “catching your wins.” That’s all I’ll say for now. Thank you, again, for your ongoing support. 

Until next time

May Peace be your guide.