Fear is the great nemesis of the call, but actually fear points the way. -Pete Richardson
Over the last two months my boys have spent hours jumping, twisting and turning on the trampoline in our backyard. They’ve now graduated from mere flips to complex acrobatics; linking tricks together and, to my injury-anticipating eyes, barely averting disaster at every turn.
The fears I have for my kids on a trampoline are like waves on a shore; they disappear as quickly as they arose. But, I have other fears that are like a slowly rising tide, covering everything in their path with a power and force that seems unstoppable.
No one wants to live with fear. But when it doesn’t seem to recede our tendency is to distract or numb ourselves, try to ignore it or just hope it goes away.
But, the reality is that Tidal Fear is not going away. It’s deep seated and is connected to what it means to being human. We are a fearful people. But, rather than allowing it rise uncontrolled around you, imagine looking directly at your fear, asking it to point the way forward. What if your fear is highlighting what needs to be addressed and is at the same time offering you the fuel to move forward?
What are the tidal fears in your life? When you are quiet and stillness comes into your mind and soul, what is it that you fear? Is it provision for your family? Your health? That you won’t meet your potential? That your deep secret will suddenly be brought into the open?
Love is the opposite of fear.
When these fears arise, imagine that love invaded your fear and took it’s place. Your inverted fear then transforms from a cocooned, defensive reality into a life-giving vision that can both inspire and fuel your work.
How is fear playing a role in your life? What steps could you take to reimagine your fears through the lens of love and then move towards it?