Last Saturday, I witnessed one of those rare moments that left me slightly shaken. It happened within the span of minutes, and though the incident may not seem like a big deal to many, it left a mark in my heart that caused me to ponder.

A bit of a back story; I am a part of my church worship team and we have our practices on Saturdays. My husband had to work that day so my little two year old happily followed me to the practice session. Being the fun inquisitive little girl that she is, Ali ran along and explored the church premise while the adults were on stage. Suffice to say despite my best attempts to keep a watchful eye on her, it proved that her little ninja skills were too fast for the naked eye. In the blink of an eye I lost sight of her and thought she had entered the nursery to grab some toys. Just as the practice ended (thank God it was the final song!), I instantly heard a faint cry followed by some banging on the pantry door. Mama’s instinct kicked in but my heavily pregnant belly was keeping me from moving fast and so our kind friend uncle Daniel @danielwong rushed to the door and picked my sobbing and frightened little girl up. Apparently the door knob was just a tad too trying for her little hand to turn and so after a few attempts of push and pull, she got panicked and started to cry for help, but to no avail. Instant fear kicked in. I remember the moment I carried her as she sobbed and held on to me like her life depended on it, it honestly made me wanna cry too.

Instant fear kicked in.

Pixabay Image

FEAR.

Noun: An unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. (Oxford Dictionaries)

Also known for its famous acronym, False Evidence Appearing Real.

Whether it is real or holds no real substance, it is an unpleasant emotion that has and continues to cripple many. It makes us nervous, causes pain, and many times threatens our heart and peace of mind. Whether we acknowledge it or not, it affects everyone at some point in life. I’m not gonna write a long essay about this, but I figured as we enter into a new year it’s good to take some time to think about what’s been occupying our hearts and minds. Different people may have different struggles in life, but fear does not discriminate. And if we’re not careful, we fall prey to its lies.

Pixabay Image

Recently Ali and I have been watching replays of Disney's Lion King, and for whatever reason the story line struck me. Now consider the brave little lion prince, Simba. He looked up to his dad as he deemed him a strong and brave Alpha King. As the story progressed, fear crept in as he gave in to the apparent lie of his uncle Scar, who accused him of his father’s death. Born as the rightful heir to the throne, yet crippled by the fear of murder, shame and judgment, he ran away and spent his growing up days living in exile.

FEAR.

But, it doesn’t have to be this way.

Image Source

Yes, it's a choice.

So while it's easy to run away from our fears, the easy way out may not always be the best life policy. Everything in life is a cycle, and that's how fear begets fear, and courage begets courage. Sometimes we get so fearful we reason within ourselves in a form of masked wisdom, convincing ourselves that it's better to just 'let it go' and that 'the cold never bothered me anyway'. Well, didn't see how it helped Elsa get away. Hah!

I love the quote from Corrie Ten Boom about forgiveness when she shared,

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and to discover the prisoner was you."

Pixabay Image

My proposition?

If I were to use it in the context of fear, it would be the same. To face fear is to set a prisoner free, only to discover the prisoner is me. So in the face of fear, do it anyway.

• Choose courage. Remember that whatever that's happening at this point in life, these, too shall pass. We're gonna feel afraid regardless whether we choose to run away or face those fears, so what have we got to lose?

• Be kind to ourselves. The world is harsh enough. Sometimes we judge ourselves more harshly.

• Do the hard stuff. When we choose to do the hard stuff, and it can be anything from learning from our past mistakes, letting go of the pain of the past, loving in spite of, facing up against the gossip tides in our workplace, forgiving or even going the extra mile for that stranger or loved one, completing that difficult project and not bogged down by the fear of failing, etc., it propels us further to do greater things in life. And I'm not saying it's not gonna hurt, that everything is going to be a bed of roses and that all well ends well, 'cause the fact is sometimes it doesn't. But the beauty of choosing courage, is that it builds a reservoir within us, a reservoir of life that would nourish us in time to come, reminding us that all things are possible when we choose life.

I am reminded of a famous quote from a Christian minister, which precisely portrays Simba’s predicament and Rafiki’s words of revelation.

Your destiny lies on the other side of your fear. – Kris Vallotton

The end result?

Simba decided to go back to Pride Rock to face his fear, his uncle, and take his rightful place as King. In other words, whatever we choose to overcome, we rule over. It's not the matter of how strong we are, or how fast we can do it, but whether we choose to take that step of faith and not let fear be the master of our lives. And when we do that, we let our hearts be free.

Whatever we choose to overcome, we rule over.

Image Source

I'll leave you with a little sidetrack by saying I have a wise husband. He's not a man of many words, but when he speaks they carry weight. One of the things he said a few years ago is well kept as a special reminder in my heart. To keep the story short, an unpleasant incident happened and it bothered me a great deal. Being the more outspoken partner, I found myself whining and complaining about my fears and worries like a spoiled record until he told me off with a gentle and assuring tone,

"I understand that you're afraid and it bothers you. But with all that's been said and done, are you expecting those fears to actually materialise? Because from the looks of it, it sounds like you're looking forward and expecting for them to happen. Knowing you, I'm sure that is NOT what you actually want to see take place!"

BOOM. Just like that.

He's right, I should stop telling myself that bad things are going to happen and how awful they would be. I should be focusing on what matters most, that is to resolve what's at hand and be thankful that those things I'm fearful of hasn't taken place then, because true enough, in the end THEY DIDN'T. Like the Good Book says, "the tongue holds the power of life and death." In other words, speak love, speak life, because perfect love, whether acted upon or spoken casts out fear and life takes place.

Here's a thought, FEAR, however real or perceived, are mostly just ugly little 'what if's'.

Lots of love and laughter,

Faith @ Alimamasstory

Thanks for the opportunity to share this, @karenmckersie.