What’s your biggest fear?
Upon being asked that question, your mind may flick to images of spiders, small, dark rooms, the ocean or Coco the clown, amongst many other things. This time of year is filled with terrifying tours, scary shows and an abundance of horror films to watch on Netflix, around every corner there’s something to be afraid of. I am terrified of all of the above, especially spiders, but my biggest fear is the future, this fear of the future seeps into every decision I make, every action, every day, every week; fear infiltrates everything in my life.
The dictionary defines fear as ‘an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain and harm’, too much of this unpleasant emotion can stop you in your tracks and keep you captive. Fear is the little voice in the back of your head saying ‘No! Don’t do it! Think about X, Y, Z and what could happen, it could all go wrong!!’, which in turn spreads dread to every inch of your body and you’re frozen.
Fear is useful, it saves our lives. Fear is what protects us and allows us to go outside in the morning without walking in front of a car, as alarm bells go off that a car is dangerous and so we stick to the pavement, we choose the safer option. Fear can lead to an adrenaline rush which sources through our body and makes us feel alive, like a spooky ghost tour with actors that jump out, the body’s response to fear can be pleasant when it is accompanied with rationale that I am doing this, I am okay, this is pretend. So I would argue that fear is a necessary in our lives. Fear is an emotion, there to protect us and help us determine actions.
A little fear is healthy. Without fear, anything could happen, people would do whatever they want as they were no longer afraid of the consequences, the world would be chaos. Fear allows us to think rationally, make informed decisions and consider the consequences of our actions.
There is a negative side to fear, that I hinted at earlier, which is when fear rules your life. Fear can be crippling, when you are so worried about the outcome that you’re too afraid to do anything. Fear can keep you up at night, worried thoughts racing around your mind, imagination running wild of what could happen. When I was younger, I was 100% convinced a mummy lived in our attic. I had been exposed to a horror movie at a young age, and it triggered my imagination to think of every negative outcome that could possibly happen if I didn’t securely keep every limb, finger and toe under the duvet at all times.Of course, a mummy never came to take me away to live in a pyramid in Egypt, but the possibility of could have kept me firmly afraid of night time from P2-P5.
Now, my fear most certainly comes from the ‘could’. I am terrified of the future. 20-30 is a weird age bracket, I think a lot of us wander aimlessly trying to find our purpose and place in the world now that we’ve been propelled out of education. The fear of failure holds me captive every day, whether it’s the fear of failing an essay, the fear of people not liking me or the fear of not getting a job or husband or family… there’s a lot of fear on my shoulders. This kind of fear is destructive, it wears you down and strips away your self-esteem, until all that is left is an anxious bundle.
Fear of the future seeps in when we get ahead of ourselves and panic settles in as we’re overwhelmed by the magnitude of unknowns in our lives. We crave the answers to everything, and not having the answer fills us with fear, at least that’s my experience anyway.
Fear is healthy, fear is good and necessary, until it takes control. It’s easy to think you are the only person in the room shaking in your boots, it seems that way because people have to put on a strong façade to get through the day, but you’re not. Fear lives within every one of us, in the movie Inside Out, Fear is up there on the controlling panel with the other main emotions. We are all afraid of something and have fear in our lives, it’s figuring out how to not let that fear consume you.
Maybe you think it’s not okay to be afraid, that you have to be strong, resilient and capable, show no signs of weakness, but the Bible is filled with the stories of people who were terrified, yet chosen by God, and through trusting Him, His provision and plan, overcame their biggest fears. I love the Old Testament, I think it is the most real, raw, honest and relevant collection of books and stories, for the past, present and future. There are tons of examples of men and women who were terrified, who let there fear consume them so they began to doubt God, give up and run from him.
Moses, the man who was chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of slavery, was absolutely full of fear.
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11)
He questioned God’s choice of him over and over because the fear of the task before him overwhelmed him, his fear leading to not only him doubting himself, but losing sight of God. Hagar was so afraid of the future for her and her son, she set him down in the shade of a bush as she didn’t want to watch him die,
“When the water was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush. Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. ‘I don’t want to watch the boy die,’ she said, as she burst into tears.” (Genesis 21:15-16)
her fear stripped away every last shred of hope she had. Jonah was so terrified of the people of Nineveh, he tried to outrun the Lord and ended up in the belly of the whale. These examples show that fear is natural, especially in overwhelming circumstances filled with uncertainty, but fear consumed Jonah, Moses and Hagar and panic set in.
Although they were afraid, God was with them. Fear is natural, and only in trusting in God, that He is with you and in His plan, can fear be kept at a manageable level. Not only that, but God converted their fear into drive and courage, Jonah went to Nineveh, Hagar and her son lived as she trusted in the provision of the Lord, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, all through and with God. When we look to ourselves, we end up a fear-filled mess of tears and worry and stress, when we look to God, He gives us the strength to overcome our fear and the courage to move past it.
Throughout the Bible over and over we are told 'Do not be afraid...' (Isaiah 41:10), yet because we're human we try to do things ourselves and fear settles in. The only way to not let fear run your life, is through trusting in God. Trusting that He is with you, trusting in His promises to never leave you and trusting that His plan will only lead to the best for you. This is not easy, it's so easy to be afraid and filled with worry, but when you are filled with fear, turn to Him, seek refuge and strength in His Word that is alive with people who have been afraid and overcome it.
By: Sophie
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