Be brave, be free, be fearless

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A few nights ago I was asked to present a short program to a group of women educators. The catch to this request……I had 10 minutes to prepare. Apparently there was a last minute change in plans and the group realized they needed a Plan B. That was me.

Most of my friends and colleagues would have run for the hills. And while a sudden request can certainly up your anxiety, I didn’t feel a lot of pressure. In fact, I felt very comfortable in honoring their request. The subject was something I am very passionate about and believe in with every fiber of my being. So I spent about five minutes preparing a few notes and prayed the rest would fall into place.

During the course of my message I walked them through a few changes in the teaching profession, several cutting edge trends, and a variety of trainings offered for today’s educator.

Then I saw it. The look of uncertainty about trying something new. I know the feeling all too well.

And then I told them, to be fearless.  I said to these ladies, “Please don’t be afraid to try something new because you think you might fail. Please don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. Don’t fear what you don’t know. Go ahead…..give it a try…..and believe that you can do whatever it is.”

Like many of us do when we leave an event and head home, I replayed the scenario in my mind. I had actually asked those ladies to ‘be fearless.’ I talked to them about stepping out on faith. It’s about making a gutsy call. It’s about going where others aren’t willing to go. And often times it means going it alone. Sometimes that’s the way it is.

God’s word tells us 365 times, ‘Do not fear.’ That is a daily reminder from Him to live every day being fearless. I’m comforted by those words. He is our provider, our mainstay, our stabilizer, our Rock. Maybe that’s why I can say with confidence ‘I’m pretty fearless.’ 

Do things scare me? Sure, some things do. But I don’t let fear cripple me and prevent me from being all I can be. You see I can’t do anything about most of what’s out there. I don’t have any control over the evil in this world. I can’t control Congress or the President of the United States. I don’t have to worry about making life changing decisions for millions of people. And I won’t have to worry about bungee jumping or skydiving–because those things are not on my bucket list.

But I can be cognizant of what’s going on around me. I can take precautions, pray and be proactive. I can make plans right down to the last detail and know the end result might be different. I can make memories with my family and friends and relish every moment that I get to be here on this earth. And I’m able do all of these things because my faith and trust in my Heavenly Father is greater than the fears in me.

We get one shot at this life. If we are committed to Christ, then we can move forward with confidence and courage, knowing that we’ve been true to ourselves and to the Holy One who knows us best.

I’ll be praying for you this week.

Mitzi