Sometimes, we all just need a few practical handles to grab onto when worry, anxiety and fear threaten to upend us.
We need those practical helps in order to be the light in the midst of darkness; especially when fear is running rampant around us.
That's the purpose of today's blog...
I've re-tweeked a post I wrote a couple of years ago when I was studying hope.
I learned something about turning fear into #bebrave in the rain forest of Costa Rica (smile).
It's about grabbing onto hope, and staring fear in the face, even when the intimidating HARD is right in front of me...
...when there is NOTHING easy about what I am facing...
...when the "what if" questions are crippling me...
...when it's hard to breathe deep, let alone breathe at all...
...when my palms are sweaty, my heart is pounding, and my mind is in that crazy cycle...
...when looking down is easier than looking up (but, looking down is the last place I should look)...
...when I am so focused on the journey ahead, I forget to marvel at the beauty-of-the-now in the midst of the journey...
The truth is that I know "the list" I'm about to give you...
In moments like this, when my mind is calm and my reasoning is up to capacity, I can tick these things off quite easily.
But, the truth is that in those moments when the nerves are on edge, tension is tight, and my fear takes over, I have to remember:
Fear makes us forgetful people!
- We become God amnesiacs (forgetting His character)...
- His Words become blurred (I can't bring them to mind for the life of me...NOT! A! SINGLE! ONE!)...
- Celebrate? (what is it I have to celebrate, anyway?)...
- AND, the last thing I want to do is make friends with my fear...I want to run as far away from that giant as I can...
You?
On a scale of zero to ten with zero being "Pshaw, I never get forgetful in the face of fear," and, ten being "Yeppers, EVERY! SINGLE! TIME! I may or may not even forget my name in the face of fear..." Where do you land?
Each one of us needs to know what our go-to-human-tendency is so we can correct it.
David knew his when he went after Goliath!
It's my opinion, that is why he stuck five stones in his pocket. He only needed one, but he had five just in case... Who knows, maybe one of those other giants from Gath (one of Goliaths brothers) would tauntingly appear....?????
This list will summarize what we need for the next time fear wanders into our lives and sucks the breath right out of us!
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Back story.
I'd been in Costa Rica to speak to a group of global workers in a retreat setting.
I'd jumped that specific hurdle of fear, and was packing for my flight home the next day, when I received a call from the front desk. They were offering a "special" for each of our volunteer group to go zip-lining.
All "my people" were going...
I texted Bay, and my husband said, "This is a GREAT OPPORTUNITY! You can't go all the way to Costa Rica and not experience this..."
(I secretly wondered if he was trying to get rid of me...)
My head was saying, "You know you want to, you KNOW you do...get your brave on!"
My heart was saying, "NO WAY! You know you're deathly afraid of heights!"
Head or heart? This was the fluctuating debate for a good 24 hours.
I went on down to the desk to pay.
That was EASY! All I had to do was hand them my credit card.
And, I reasoned, I could always cancel the next morning...
Following the pay came the difficult part.
I had to take the next step.
Then another.
And another.
The first one entailed getting onto the bus at the hotel.
The second step involved dressing in the harness that would support me...
"Please, would you check it again, sir, just to make sure it's tight?"
After the fourth ask, they assured me they didn't need to do it again...it was just fine. Apparently re-checking the harness four times was their limit...
Then...I had to get onto the tram that would take all of us to the top of the jungle.
As I heard one of my friends say, "Look at that creek down below," I was reminded just how high up I would be... (GULP!) For some reason the tram cart started shaking more violently....
Before I knew it, I was standing on the platform.
My apparatus was connected to a wire (well, two wires). BUT, they weren't very big wires. My ring finger was bigger than the wires (I know, I checked)...
Nope, I didn't go first...
But, I didn't go last either...
I put myself in the middle...
By the time I stepped up to the test, it was do it, or die. My people would have made certain of one or the other (I was pretty certain I'd have a heart attack somewhere over the trees, though, so that didn't phase me.)
I'm here to say, "I survived!"
I lived to tell the story.
I stood on that platform, took a few deep breaths, trusted my harness, and the people who had put it on me, along with the wires that held me....and, I jumped.
I ran straight at that giant of fear and as I ran, I took advantage of a few fear "helps."
What are they?
Well, I can't end this blog series on Day #13. So, you'll have to come back in two days for the entire list...
...but, here's a short list...
1) Because we are forgetful people when fear steps into the ring, we all need tools in our tool belt...
2) Because fear isn't an "if," but a "when, " we need to be equipped and have those tools at our disposal.
3) Starting the process of over-coming fear with courage involves taking one step at a time.
4) Every one of those steps requires a certain degree of trust...EVERY STEP...and, along the way, you'll suddenly find yourself on the other side of the fear.
That list you'll get? Well it will help you take each step toward trust.
To be continued.... (smile)
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