What is fascinating is that even our Creator and father knew that there would be moments when fear would have the better part of us.
Great men like Abraham, Joshua, Moses, Elijah and Jacob were told not to be afraid.
There is nothing wrong with you or your self-esteem just because you have felt fear at some time. It actually goes to show that you are simply human.
Courage is the ability to do something that frightens one; bravery.
What frightens you? What has frightened you this year? What frightens you the most about seeing next year and the years after?
The opportunity of fear is also an opportunity of courage. Courage is as a result of an existing fear. It is safe to mathematically say that the more the fears the more the chances of courage.
At a tender age, my dad had always told me that there was nothing to fear about Math, that it was just a game of numbers, from 0–10. Math ended up being my favorite subject from lower primary school. When I was in class 4, I missed school for a whole term because of some issues, when I was back to school I remember my class teacher lifting me up and making me stand on top of a desk, I was so small and tiny, all my classmates were laughing at that time and he said, ‘My math champ is back’. It’s then I knew that there was a need for me to perform. I didn’t allow the fear of being away for a whole term get in my way, my parents helped me at home and my teacher at school, I got a 98% in the second term exam. This attitude of courage always shaped me and I grew up believing in myself, knowing there was nothing too difficult. It also made me develop big dreams and hopes.
As we grow up and life happens, we have experiences that eat into our courage. We don’t think we got it in us any more, we start settling for less and accepting the average mentality. Life sometimes knocks us down so hard that there is no hope or sense of direction. We cocoon and settle convincing ourselves that all our dreams were a chase after the wind.
When we compare the kind of hope that we had when we were finishing school and the kind of hope that we have now, we will realize that we are simply settling and not thriving to live any more.
Most of us are already almost half of our lives, what’s the worst that can happen if we deliberately decided to do the things that frighten us? If we decided to finally start that business even with the fear of failing, if we decided to launch that app, if we decided that we should ask for a pay rise, if we decided not to make decisions based on our bad past experiences, if we decided to take a look at our dreams once more and decide to pursue them actively!
Choose not to be afraid.
Luke 12:7
Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
