To Fear or Not to Fear?

The other morning on my local Christian radio station, I heard a report about the advantages of doing things that scare us. The gist of the study was that there have proven to be many mental and physical benefits from doing things that we consider to be scary. Wait, what? I once threw a fit when I found out my date was taking me to a haunted house, I do NOT like scary things! But we all have fears, right? Maybe it’s heights (more on that in a minute), spiders, change, Teletubbies (hey, they’re creepy!)....so this study is essentially supporting that fact that we should intentionally experience these things in order to grow. Gulp.

So why are we being encouraged to do this? Especially when I am aware that the most often repeated commandment in the Bible is do not fear. It appears 365 times, one for each day of the year! From a worldly perspective, we are told that exposing ourselves to fear can have advantages: it boosts your immune system, gives you a natural sense of empowerment, helps you lose weight, and gives you clarity on what’s really important in life. But as I was reading about these benefits, I saw words like challenge and adventure--and yes, those things can be scary, but does that have to equate to fear? I got to thinking...is it about feeling the fear and letting it control you or facing the fear and overcoming it?

Eleaner Roosevelt has been credited with saying, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” But what she actually said is much more profound: “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face...the danger lies in refusing to face the fear, in not daring to come to grips with it. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” This resonated with me because I don’t believe we can avoid fear or that God wants us to pretend it’s not there.* But He certainly doesn’t want it to paralyze us or prevent us from living our fullest life. So does that mean I really have to bring my fears to the surface and deal with them? I decided to work through a real-life example.

This weekend the kids and I are attending Family Camp, which has been a Labor Day tradition for us for many years. One thing we have added to the tradition the past few years, much to my dismay, is the high ropes course. I say this because I am terrified of heights. Like heart-racing, anxiety-producing, panic-attack level terrified. Why in the world would I dangle 50 feet above the ground if I didn’t have to?! Well, when your 13 year old asks you to do it with him, you want to step up and meet that challenge. I can honestly say it was one of the scariest things I have ever done, but also the most rewarding. I will never forget the feeling of pride I had when I completed the course, I guess because I faced my fear and realized I was stronger than I thought. And I don’t doubt it reaped many of the benefits I mentioned earlier--I felt empowered, put things in perspective and I’m sure I shed a few pounds in sweat! But to me, the most important part was realizing that I am brave. I am strong. I am capable. But not by my own power. I can do all things through Christ; only with Him am I able to live free of fear.

In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, I encourage you to “always do what you are afraid to do.” Will it be easy? Nope. Will it be worth it? I think so. I’m off to do the high ropes course for a third time and, trust me, I’ll start with a prayer!

* Author’s note: Some fears are healthy. I do not condone engaging in fearful activities that are life-threatening or evil.