Overcoming the False Boundary of Fear
Are you convinced fear of the unknown is a valid boundary? Sometimes I am.
According to the Exeter Daily, “The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3 foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will land.”
While I’d love to believe I’m wiser than these animals, a quick review of my rationale for saying no to the unknown reveals that I, too, often trust a trainer who convinces me I can’t walk the path God calls me to because I’m too afraid of what might be on the other side of what I see as a wall.
Refusing the Lie
Why am I so likely to believe the lie that I’m unqualified or too weak to conquer a challenge? While the question itself may differ situationally, the reality is that when I find myself afraid of what’s behind a wall, it’s because I forgot to take stock of who I am in Christ.
While I am nowhere near perfect, I’ve lived long enough to develop a wider lens through which to view life. My willingness to empathize with people has increased as has my ability to discern what is happening beyond the surface of a situation. That is, except when it relates to me directly:
- I’m willing to trust that friend who burned me a few years ago regrets her harsh words, but I’m unwilling to let the lies she spat out in anger stop shaping how I view myself.
- I’m willing to work hard at things I understand how to do well, but when I might fail at something new, I avoid it as long as possible.
- I doubt my parenting, even though my kids are well-behaved, when I read an article by an “expert” that criticizes my parenting style.
I embrace failure before I’ve even tried and then wonder why I hunger for more. But when I pause and seek the Lord, I’m once again reminded who I am in Christ and why I need not fear.
Paul writes to Timothy,
“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:12–17 NIV)
This isn’t the only time Paul reminds those under his ministry that they are called to more with Christ. Paul writes to those in Rome, Corinth, and Galatia with these messages:
I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:21–25 NIV)
[Christ] died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:15 NIV)
So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:7 NIV)
Overcoming Fear
When I take stock of who I am, a child of God and heir, I know I don’t need to fear what’s on the other side of a wall, whether it’s 3 feet or 300 feet high. It doesn’t have to stop me. I can climb over it with God and in his strength, and then walk the path he’s calling me to.
I know some of you are fighting my analogy. You understand that, as with the impalas, most boundaries restraining animals are placed for their protection. For instance, dogs are taught to stay within the safe boundaries of their yard by wearing a collar that shocks them any time they come close to an invisible fence.
God does place boundaries in our lives for our protection, and sometimes ignoring them has consequences. But if you’ve been facing such a boundary, consider this: Are you sure the boundary is still in place? Or has God removed it now that you’re stronger and more mature? Many dog owners discover they can remove the shock collar once their pets learn they have boundaries. Perhaps God removes restraints from us when he sees we’ve grown. That which was meant to protect us for a season may no longer exist except in our fears.
Let this be the year we stop adhering to boundaries not meant for us and step fully into all God calls us to. It will take blind faith, but our freedom is worth it, isn’t it?
is a football coach’s wife and mom of two energetic boys. She strives to encourage those around her to pursue their best lives in Jesus whether she is near the game field, in church, or at the local coffee shop. As a writer, Beth has been striving to find her voice through seeing Jesus in the ordinary and extraordinary of daily life. She blogs at Lessons from the Sidelines.
Photograph © Rose Elena, used with permission
