Face Your Fears

I’m afraid of failure. My grades were never as good as my siblings’, my wages were never as high as my friends’, and my hair was never full and luxurious like the celebrities. So I gave up. I was afraid that I could never meet my goals (I really wanted full and luxurious hair) so instead of feeling the sting of defeat, it was better not to try.

Until one day someone believed in me. One day someone told me that I could do and be and succeed. My hair still isn’t full or luxurious (that ship has sailed with my youth), and I’m still afraid to fail, but I found it’s my exact fear of failure that pushes me to work harder toward my goals.

There was a gentle irony in God making what caused pain the cure for that pain. I’d think fear would have prevented the people from trusting the curing snake, but they needed to perhaps not conquer their fear but own it enough to see past it. From there they can trust that and see how God will provide as promised. Fear is not an enemy of faith, but it is a precursor to it, knowing that God is bigger and stronger than anything we could ever fear.

Strong and mighty God, you protect and provide for us in our times of need. Amen. — NF