Fear

I was thinking today about people from high school. The vast majority of people that I went to school with left the state or at least the city after graduating. Most of us went on to do a variety of things in a variety of places.

But there was a small contingent that did not move away. A small group ended up staying in the city for college, if they went, and are still hanging out with their high school friends. Generally, those people that stayed were those people that were considered "popular" in high school. And now, those people are doing the same thing they were doing then.

The big difference, to me, was fear. The cool kids had a lot to give up. High school was great for them (and just so I don't sound jaded, I loved high school too). It was so great, that they never wanted to let it go. Fear kept them driving down the same streets and talking to the same people. Fear kept them from exploring new thoughts, new cities or from meeting new friends. It's probably not fair to say that everyone who stayed in OKC did so out of fear. Many were probably not scared at all.

But when I think about what really scares people, I think about what is typically a good horror movie. These days, people love to make horror movies as gory and bloody as possible. But a really great horror movie emphasizes the unknown. A great horror movie makes the watcher realize that ANYTHING could be out there. Anything.

And I think that "anything" is typically what holds people back; from moving away, from meeting new people, from taking risks. After all, ANYTHING could be out there.

I think generally that is the same thing that holds people back from taking a leap and doing something hard. What if we fail? What if I'm not as __________ as I thought? What will people say?

But when I think about fear in my life, there are so many wonderful things that I wouldn't have if fear had kept me down. I would never have gotten a dog like Rufus, I would never have made the friends I made in college, I would not have gone to Truett Seminary, I probably would never have walked down an aisle when I was 6 and asked questions about God. If I had let fear get in the way, I would never have called a girl that I met in the college cafeteria. I would never have asked her out the first time (much less the second or third), and I would never have asked her to marry me.

The problem is, I look back at the times I overcame fear, and I see that the best things in my life have come from overcoming fear, but I still let it paralyze me at times. I still wonder if the risks we are taking in our life are worthwhile. And I'm still afraid of the unknown. Hopefully I will remember the good things that come from overcoming fear, and hopefully God has more great things in store for me.