Do Not Be Afraid

I found this online and thought it was so poignant and needed to be shared.

I used to be afraid at night – afraid of the dark. Afraid that just beyond that point my eyesight allowed me to see that there would be something lurking. Afraid that the darkness itself would somehow surround me and swallow me up. As if darkness were anything more than just simply the absence of light. I used to be afraid of tomorrow, afraid that who I was would continually dictate who I am and that who I would be would be might be someone who I didn’t like very much at all – as if that there was no such thing as being made new. I used to be afraid of opinions – afraid that words would not break my bones they certainly would shatter my dreams. As if I started doing this for the approval of many rather than the glory of One.

I used to be afraid of failure, afraid of losing, afraid of falling, afraid of being wrong, creating buzz and looking absolutely stupid because who am I to think that I could ever actually make a difference?

As if those setbacks are nothing more than stepping stones on the path to success. I used to be afraid. I used to.

But then I did a little research. And by that I mean – I researched and I researched and I researched over and over again. And through all my researching I keep coming up with the same exact question.

“What room does fear have?”

What room does fear have when I cling to trust? What room does fear have when I lean on hope? What room does fear have when I search for something more, when I discover what’s good and when I stand in awe, when I run for perseverance, when I walk by faith and when I rest in comfort.

What room does fear have when I sing with praise? When I take hold of inspiration, explore the possibilities and step in to freedom? What room does fear have when I discover strength, embrace courage, remember peace, declare truth, choose joy, experience life and conquer death?

What room does fear have when I find perfection in the one place I never thought to look, in weakness. When I’m saved by the most unlikely of heroes, by grace. When I’m invited into a relationship more loving and intimate than I could ever imagine: as a child of God.

I’ll ask you again, what room does fear have when I step out of the darkness and I bask in the light. When I let the past be the past and the future has no limits, when they can talk all they want but their opinion doesn’t matter, and when failure is nothing more and nothing less than the road by which I walk my path to success. I’ll ask you one last time – what room does fear have when in His Word He tells me 365 times, – depending on the translation – DO NOT BE AFRAID! As if I needed to hear that every single day. And as if that’s how many times I needed to hear it before I finally believe. What Are You Afraid Of?