How to Persevere and Overcome Fear with Faith
Every time he lost I had to hold myself back from running up to my son to hug and kiss the crushing disappointment away. Despite my experience with the sport, it was hard to see my son struggle with so much emotion. I wanted to make it easy for him. I wanted to rescue him.
Thankfully I didn’t. Because it became the season that he learned how to perseverance and overcome his fear with faith.
My son walked off the wrestling mat with tears in his eyes and said, “I don’t want to do this anymore.”
He was so excited when the season started; however, it didn’t take long for him to become discouraged. The practices were great, his teammates and coaches affirming and fun to be around. However, he was getting his behind kicked when he competed against other teams. Match after match my son tried not to cry as the referees declared his opponent the winner.
Every time he lost I had to hold myself back from running up to my son to hug and kiss the crushing disappointment away. Despite my experience with the sport, it was hard to see my son struggle with so much emotion. I wanted to make it easy for him. I wanted to rescue him.
Thankfully I didn’t. Because it became the season that he learned how to perseverance and overcome his fear with faith.
You can READ MORE about it over at Faith Gateway.
How to Overcome the Fear of Doing Something New
Many of us fear we will not live up to the expectations of others. Or we worry whether we can sustain the success we worked so hard to achieve. We don't have to live in fear! Here are few things to help you overcome the fear of doing something new.
I am working on a new project.
It’s something that has been on my mind for over a year now. I have spent time on it here and there but am nowhere near where I should be on its progress. At one point I had a detailed plan on how I was going to complete it but failed to follow it when I got “busy.” Then summer came, and it was pushed even further down my priority list.
I said things like, “I’m still doing research.” and “I’m thinking through a few new ideas” and “I don’t have time to give it my full attention but when I do…” I thought these were excellent explanations as to why I didn't see progress, but let’s face it; I was procrastinating.
Procrastination is nothing more than fear.
Setting aside this project this summer to spend quality time with my kids is legit, but when I was honest with myself, I realized that I simply enjoy doing things I know I can do well. This new project is new territory and will push me out of my comfort zone. I’ve let fear keep me from taking necessary steps towards the unknown.
The two common fears that others and I face are:
Fear of Failure
Many of us fear we will not live up to the expectations of others. Whether it’s a boss, family member, or friend, we don’t want to let them down. Worse than that is the dread of not living up to the expectations of ourselves. We wonder, “Do I have what it takes to do this?” “What if there is a gap between what I hope it will be versus what it becomes? If so, what does that say about me?”
Fear of Success
While success is great, it brings with it new responsibilities. We tend to worry whether we can sustain that success. It may require time or effort that we don’t have or are willing to give. Accomplishments are also accompanied by new expectations from others and ourselves. Thoughts such as, “Do I have what it takes to it again?” and “What if I’m not worthy of the success I’ve achieved?” keep us from moving forward.
When we move out of our comfort zone, and we’ll experience the thrill of expanding our limits.
Here are a few things that will help:
· Journal your fears. Write about your fear and its origin. Spend time to uncover what terrifies you and record it. Reflect on how it has held you back in the past. Often when we write things down or talk about them with a friend, they lose their power. Plus, once you get specific, you can effectively address them in prayer.
· Counter fearful thoughts. Trusting in God is our ultimate remedy for fear. When you hear thoughts such as “You’re not enough.” and “It won’t turn out as great as you imagine.”, stop them in their tracks and choose to think something else. Read, speak, memorize, and often refer to the promises of the Bible and receive them as personal pledges from God. You can download these Powerful Scriptures to Combat Fear to get started.
· Create small goals. My friend Kimberly Coyle says “Peace rarely descends like a dove. Instead it is practiced through small acts of courage which put fear in its rightful place.” Instead of tackling your fear all at one time, take small steps towards overcoming it and achieving your goal.
· Tell people what you are doing. Share your fear with a friend and announce what you are going to do about it. When you included others, they can provide encouragement and accountability.
Don’t be fooled into thinking “That’s just the way I am.” or “This is the way I am wired.” No matter what your Myers Briggs or Enneagram type, fear should never drive your decisions for yourself, your family, and your future. Be willing to dig into the root of fear so that you can overcome it.
Over the next few weeks, here on the blog and social media, I will be giving you a sneak peek into what I am working on. Saying yes to this project has meant tackling my fears and making some changes to the things I am already doing. Stay tuned; I am so excited to share more details with you soon!
DOWNLOAD SCRIPTURES TO COMBAT FEAR
Face your fears with the Word of God. Download this FREE sheet called Powerful Scriptures to Combat Fear
For more on the topic listen to:
Episode 61 Facing Your Fears
Join Elise Daly Parker, Kimberly Coyle and I as we share our experience with fear and a few tips on how to move out of your comfort zone and expand your boundaries.
Additional Posts:
Wrestling, Fear, and Faith - An Experience with the Read it Pray it Card
I'm so excited to share with you an experience we had with fear and he conquered it with the Word of God and the Read it Pray it Cards. I created these cards for my children and me to memorize scripture and pray bedtime prayers, but we are using them for more than that.
My son loves sports! He has played every sport our town rec club has to offer. This year he narrowed it down to his favorites: soccer, wrestling, and baseball.
My son wrestles in the winter. Last year he practiced with the program, but never actually competed. This year he made the varsity team because they needed lightweights to wrestle with the big boys. He was so excited when the season started but soon became discouraged. His teammates and coaches were great. However, he was getting his butt kicked at matches. Match after match my son fought back the tears as the ref raised the hand of the winner
I am not a newbie to wrestling; I worked with it for ten years. I know it is not for the faint of heart. It's one on one competition, you and your opponent. There's no team to back you up or make up for your mistakes or lack of skill. To see my son struggle emotionally was hard.
I spoke to his coach; we decided that it would be a good idea for my little man to wrestles some JV matches so he could get some wins under his belt. It was a brilliant idea. Unfortunately, even after a few victories, he started to lose his nerve.
Then it happened. At a local tournament, my little man refused to wrestle. He became nasty and rude and said he wanted to go home. I didn't understand what was going on at first; he is winning matches, why was he so upset? Once we got in the car, the tears started to flow. He was scared to lose, worried he was going to cry in front of everyone if he did. FEAR
I asked him, “Where does fear come from, God?”
“No mommy.”
God didn’t give us a spirit that makes us weak and fearful. He gave us a spirit that gives us power and love. It helps us control ourselves . 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIrV)
I got fired up! I told him he didn’t have to put up with fear. Yes, it was going to come, but he had to decide what to do with it when it did. Was he going to let it keep him from doing what he loves?
I reminded him the best way to tackle fear was to know the Word of God and speak it when he feels scared.
Immediately he remembered his scriptures cards. The provided him easy access to exactly what God says about fear. When we got home he found his cards, took out the four on fear, and read the verses and prayed the prayers. Then he surprised me. He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote each of the prayers out as one big prayer, and inserted the word wrestling where it fit.
I knew that that's what these prayers are for but I was beyond thrilled to see my 8-year old put them into action.
Every night that week he prayed the Word of God. The following weekend he wrestled two matches without hesitation. He even brought the prayers to the tournament just in case he needed to take some time to himself to pray.
The rest of the season still had its bumps. They were times he didn’t want to wrestle but he never walked away from an event without competing like he did earlier in the season.
There will be many others times when he will come up against a situation that he will not be able to face in his strength or wisdom. I am so grateful that he has experienced applying the Word of God to his circumstance.
Want to get a set of the Read it Pray it cards?
Check out my Etsy shop HERE. It includes digital downloads as well as professionally printed cards.