Do it afraid.
I live by these words. They are engraved on my heart and in my approach to life.
That wasn’t always so.
There was a time that I went down the soap aisle if I saw an acquaintance in WalMart. My hope was that I wouldn’t have to talk to them.
Sure, I was myself with the people I loved, but those I didn’t know?
Well, it was just better to hide.
At some point God calls us out of obscurity and that involves risk.
We risk being known as imperfect.
We risk saying something we wish we hadn’t.
We risk showing others that we don’t have it all together.
But by taking these risks we discover that everybody else on the planet isn’t perfect either.
We discover that we can be ourselves — our imperfect, work-in-progress selves, and accept others in the process.
We show our girls that they are valuable and have something to offer. Way beyond what they look like, or what someone wants from them.
We show our guys what a strong woman looks like, even when she’s afraid of the leap she’s about to take.
Maybe your risk is different than mine.
It might be believing that you can be a good mom.
It might be pushing out of isolation into living fully in the world around you.
It might be stepping into your snarky, fun personality and celebrating that God made you that way.
Regardless of the nature of this healthy risk (we’ll talk more about that tomorrow), are you willing to do it afraid?
What healthy risk is God asking you to take?
Suzie
Taking it Deeper
Erwin McManus, author and speaker, says, “We are seldom afraid when our opposition is smaller than us. When we keep our challenges manageable, we not only manage our fear, but we squelch our faith. One way to deal with our fears is to surround ourselves with predictability and security. We may look courageous when in fact all we’ve done is minimize our risk.
Q: In Chapter 9 “Becoming a Risk Taker” we discover the difference between a healthy risk and risky behavior. Are there healthy risks that you avoid? Why or why not?
Read pages 124-125 in The Mom I Want to Be: Rising Above Your Past to Give Your Kids a Great Future.
Q: Describe your safety zone. How does it limit you?
Q: Do you ever pass your fears on to your children?
Q: How might”do it afraid” ignite courage in you and your child?
Q: Read Matthew 14:28-31.
- Should Peter have remained in the boat?
- What happened when he started to sink?
- What was Jesus saying to Peter in his rebuke?
- Note in the conversation between Peter and Jesus in the first two verses. How does Jesus’ response to Peter make this a healthy risk versus risky behavior?
Get alone with God. Ask Him to show you one area where He wants you to “do it afraid.”
If you haven’t purchased the resource for this study, The Mom I Want to Be, it’s on sale on Amazon!
Jill Savage, founder and President of Hearts at Home, says, “The Mom I Want to Be will help you find hope, freedom, encouragement, and vision!”
Suzie, this was a challenging chapter for me because I am not a “do it afraid’ kind of gal. I do like how you tied Matthew 14 to the “do it afraid” concept. It’s certainly something to think about.
It seems that you so often, sneak into my thoughts and grab them by their tails, pull them out, and make me have to look at them. It isn’t always the thing that I would have chosen to do, though. I am going into yet another surgery next Wednesday, My sixth in the past four years, with more on the horizon. It has never been of my ilk to let others in to share what I am going through, but now I am just tired. I have to finally face a world of limitations. I have never given in to anything stopping me, and I now have to. I care little about the physical facets of what I am facing, but emotionally it is devastating me. I am used to helping others in need, and now I might have to be on the other end of that stick. It is facing a future of questions that scares me. Not that I have a lot of choice about it, but it is a scary leap for me to have to begin to rely on others. There is a wonderful praise song that I have always loved, “Brother, let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you, pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant, too”. There are times that it is so much easier to be the stronger helper than to be the one in need. It is hearing for you and others that I am learning. Deep, deep thanks and love. Jenny
Do it Afraid and … Don’t Be Afraid Luke 8:50 Do Not Be Afraid, Just Believe .. how many times did God tell His people in the Old Testament and New Testament Do Not Be Afraid and at times He sent His angels
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Mary etc…