Fear not.

“Fear not.” Every time God revealed plans for something big to men and women over the ages, His first words were “Don’t be afraid.” Coming into the presence of God or a messenger of God was enough itself to be overwhelmed… then came the plan. Again came the message in some form “Don’t worry. I’ve got you and I’ve got this, so you’ve got this too.”

But we’re so good at fear even though we don’t like it. So why do we hang on to fear? Why not let go and follow the plan in confidence? It’s the letting go part. Fear allows us to feel like we have some shred of control over the situation.

But that’s not how it works. That’s not how great things happen. That’s where courage and optimism come in. Courage doesn’t ignore fear, it acts in spite of it. Optimism doesn’t ignore the facts that seem to contradict the plan. It believes we’ll figure it out somehow and that ultimately, it’s in the hands much bigger than mine. I choose to trust instead of fear.

I’m not writing this as an abstract nice idea. I’m wrapping one more layer of understanding around what I’ll need for 2021. Last year had many reasons to be afraid of health, wealth, politics, economics, and the lack of vital necessities like toilet paper.

If there’s just one thing that will make this year remarkably better than the last, it will be the lack of fear that holds me back from doing great things for everyone I know in service to my Creator’s purposes. I will still feel fear because there it’s a natural warning signal to pay attention to possible hazards ahead. AND I will continue learning to not fear the feeling of fear, but instead use it to pay attention while taking the next courageous, trusting step.