If there's one thing I would have said about myself a year ago was that I was not really afraid of anything.
But in 2011, God walked with me through many circumstances where fear was brought center-stage in my life. It helped me realize how often I am paralyzed by fear and I don't even realize it - how often I am truly afraid and call it something else.
Now, there's a verse in the Bible that talks about having a fear of God. This is a reverent fear, not something that is scary, but something that is deeply respectful of God's position versus our position. So there is a healthy fear, but in our vernacular, it should really be referred to as "reverence" or "respect".
That being said, I was most certainly living in a lot of fear.
I imagine you deal with the same thing. But fear is not a useful thing. We have to figure out a way around fear so we can live to go places we have not believed ourselves to be able to go. Fear will, undoubtedly, keep us from walking in God's #1 plan for our life.
I heard a really good line in We Bought a Zoo when I saw it the other day:
You know, sometimes, all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage.. just, literally, 20 seconds of just embarrassing bravery, and, I promise you, something great will come of it.
One of my goals for 2012 and beyond is to remember this little tidbit and to take my chances with 20 seconds of courage. As a Christian, I really think I have to remember wisdom in this decision, though. Sometimes, 20 seconds of courage can mean holding my tongue for 20 seconds. Other times, it's going to mean: go up to that stranger and give them a hug in a matter of 20 seconds. Courage doesn't necessarily mean doing something stupid. It just means doing something wise-doing something right, no matter how many people think it is stupid.
So please remember 20 seconds of courage in 2012. It's a great time to walk into somewhere incredible God has for you. And I'm pretty sure we don't want to miss out on that...
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