Persevering Power - Look In

Part #3

There are moments when God invites us into new and unexpected opportunities. A job opens in a new city you were not expecting, a chance meeting turns into an enduring friendship, or a new dream invites you to explore a once-unrealized desire in your heart. These moments are beautiful but often produce fear and uncertainty. We feel simultaneously alive and terrified. During these times, we are invited to Look In, pursue peace, and set aside pride.

I am currently in one of those seasons. I’m launching a new venture that is causing me joy, anticipation, and, honestly, a bit of anxiety.

As we continue our series on persevering power, Bruce Strom reminds us that after we have taken time to look back, we must look inside. He says, “The peace found from looking in is rooted in both rest and refusal—the refusal to do nothing in the face of injustice. We must sit at the feet of Jesus as we listen and lean into Him. Then we act, knowing God will bring about justice.”

In this season, fear is an ever-present foe.

The other day, I was sitting in a local Starbucks after an early workout, and my trainer walked in to grab a cup of coffee before his next class. As we started a conversation, he said something that has stuck with me the last few days. He said many of us never achieve the dreams and desires in our hearts because of fear. He went on to say that there is a stark difference between danger and fear. Danger means that there are real threats that we must address. Danger causes our sympathetic nervous system to trigger our fight-or-flight response.

Danger

A few months ago, I went to buy my wife pizza on a Friday night from her favorite pizza place. On my way out of the restaurant, I patiently waited to cross the street until the light changed. When I had the go-ahead, I began walking across the street. Looking up, I saw that the car approaching the intersection wasn’t stopping at the light and began to turn; when the driver didn’t brake, my body involuntarily slung the pizza, braced, and prepared to jump onto the car's hood. Thankfully, the car screeched to a halt and only brushed me. This incident woke up every part of me as my body sensed the real and present danger.

During moments like that, we need this fight-or-flight response.

Fear

But there are other moments when fear tricks our bodies into believing that we are in danger when we are not. This leads me back to the conversation I had with my trainer. His definition of fear is broken down into an acronym: False Evidence Appearing Real.

F.E.A.R. = False Evidence Appearing Real

How accurate a definition is that? So much of the fear I experience doesn’t happen because I am in real danger, but perceived danger. The fear of failing, the fear of being inadequate, the fear of men. These “fears” capitalize on perceived facts about me and others. Unchecked, these fears can lead to stress responses that wreak havoc on our bodies, minds, souls, and spirits.

It is amazing how fear can show up even when things seem to be going well. I am in the midst of one of the most exciting seasons of my life, and I still must vigorously rest in the truth to prevent myself from being overcome with fear.

Fear is exhausting.

Fear is a liar.

Fear must go.

Courage

If we are going to persevere, we must learn to overcome fear with faith. Strom says, “The silence of fatigue from adversity may have you questioning whether God can still use you. The silence of faith draws you to listen to His whisper and fills you with His Spirit. The silence of fear will seek to pull you back to fatigue and away from faith. Don’t let that happen. Have the courage to listen and to act. Move forward in God’s persevering power.”

Persevering at the start of a new venture can sometimes be just as challenging as persevering at the end. I am letting go of fear to embrace a new beginning. I once heard a saying that “courage is knowing what not to fear.” It takes courage to persevere! It takes courage to move forward in faith because faith often means surrender. Fear says it all depends on you. Faith says we work and rest because it all depends on God. God invites us into His work and to surrender the outcomes to Him. I’m learning to enjoy the journey with faith and courage.