Fearless Girlعينة

FACE YOUR FEARS

There was a time in my life when I was terrified of confrontation. When people hurt me, instead of retaliating I held back my emotions and allowed resentment to grow. I’ve never been one to be easily angered, yet when I was offended or hurt I acted passive aggressive to cover up my true feelings. 

Have you ever heard of the term fight or flight? Psychologists use this term to describe the survival instincts we use when put in a situation that feels dangerous. Those who choose to fight and defend themselves in a confrontation may appear fearless, yet often end up hurting others in the process. Those who choose flight usually run from their issues, deny the situation and refuse to talk about their feelings. Though it may seem like they are protecting themselves, eventually their fears will catch up with them, resulting in years of pain, bitterness and even more issues then they started with.

Running from fear or fighting fear aren’t the solution that will bring us to a place of freedom. We must face our fears head-on in order to overcome them. This means we need a stand-off with the emotion of vulnerability. Instead of running and hiding or trying to defend yourself when you feel weak, stand still and allow your true self to be seen. Allow yourself to feel vulnerable in order to gain the strength to rise up against the lies that are attacking you. 

One way you can face your fears is to find a quiet space and write down all the lies that surface when thinking about the fearful situation. Where did those lies come from and are you believing an accurate or a false reality? If it’s accurate, how can you change your behavior to react differently to that situation and create a new reality? If it’s a false reality, let go of the wrong beliefs you have about yourself, the people involved or the situation and allow a counselor to help you gain an honest perspective. Position yourself to engage fear with courage. Do the daring thing: make the call, submit the application, have the hard conversation, sign up for the race, or whatever it might be. TAKE ACTION to face that fear!

LIVE THE ADVENTURE:

1. Is a relationship in your life suffering because you are afraid of confronting a difficult issue? Take time to seek counsel and evaluate the root of the issues. Reach out to the person and ask to meet privately to have a healthy discussion.
2. Whatever your fear may be, take time to get quiet and fill in the blanks of this sentence: I feel ________ because I believe ________ therefore I have the behavior of ______. Pray and ask Jesus to show you the root of this statement and allow Him to bring healing.