What Are You Afraid of?
I’m afraid of heights. The last house we lived in was three stories high. Surrounded by trees, our rain gutters frequently filled up with leaves and needed an annual cleaning.
Acrophobic that I was, I held the ladder for my wife, Sherri, as she climbed to the roof and rained down wet, moldy leaves on my head. After a couple of years, Sherri decided her job as a rain gutter cleaner was over. Fall came, the leaves fell, and it was time for our ritual cleaning. I mentioned this to my wife, who responded, “This year, it’s your turn. You climb the ladder, and you clean out the gutters.”
I was horrified, “But honey, you know I’m afraid of heights.” Sherri was ready for my reply. She handed me an estimate from a local builder to install gutter guards, eliminating the need for cleaning. It wasn’t cheap, but we paid the money.
What are you afraid of? All of us are afraid of something: snakes, small spaces, heights, water. Some fears are God-given, designed to protect us. Others, however, limit us, hold us back, and keep us from becoming the masterpieces that God is creating us to be.
Fear is a hindrance to spiritual growth, and not surprisingly, is a common subject in the Bible.
“I was afraid because I was naked,” stammered Adam to God, in the Garden of Eden.
Abraham lied, telling Pharaoh, his wife, Sarah, was his sister because he feared for his life.
The shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem were frightened at the appearance of God’s heavenly herald, who comforted them, saying, “Do not be afraid.”
The religious leaders arrested Jesus at night because they were afraid of the people.
Fear drove Peter to deny Jesus three times in the courtyard of the high priest.
Some of these fears, like that of Adam or the religious leaders, are rooted in rebellion against God. Others, like Abraham’s lie about Sarah, or Peter’s denial of Jesus, are the result of what I like to call “sinful insecurities.”
It is these sinful insecurities I would like us to consider as we deal with fear in our lives. One of the greatest hindrances to spiritual growth is our fears.
I think the three greatest fears of most of us are: (1) fear of people, (2) fear of failure, and (3) fear of pain. All three of these cause us to fall short of God’s great plans for our lives, and I’d like to address each of them in the chapters that follow.
As we do, I want you to ask God which fearful insecurities are keeping you from becoming the masterpiece He’s calling you to be.
Honestly confronting these fears and openly confessing them to God is the key to overcoming them. A radical life change takes place when we do this, and we begin to experience the fullness of life that Jesus promised.
In Christ,
Dan
This is an excerpt from my book, “Masterpiece in the Making: Life Lessons for Spiritual Growth.”