Take a Stand

I'm not afraid to take a stand, Everybody come take my hand.  We'll walk this road together, through the storm, Whatever weather, cold or warm.  Just let you know that, you're not alone.  Holla if you feel that you've been down the same road.  -Eminem

At the request of a fan, the font size has changed--let me know if this works better, ABC!!

We are going to return to a topic discussed last week:  Fear.  Fear has the ability to paralyze us, but we have the ability to grow stronger when we don't allow paralysis to take place. 

Several stories to drive this home,  you say?  Why yes, coming right up!!

I spent the past weekend at the lake, as you may recall, and while there, had the opportunity to ride on a jet ski.  I have NEVER been on one and while I believe they look incredibly fun, I really am a scaredy cat about such things.  I tend to think of liabilities before assets, and in true "Chicken Little" thinking, picture the worst.  I could ride the jet ski and not just fall into the water, but be knocked unconscious while face-down and drown while aliens take over the earth and zap my body into outer space.  Well maybe I don't think the alien part, but my fearful thinking tends to be extreme.  Keeping my blog fans in mind and the fact that I am working to be bold, I courageously agreed to ride with Crizz on the jet ski.  She was a great driver and very mindful of my fears, but made sure we had a good ride.  The next day, with some encouragement from the other girls, I drove the jet ski--and even did a donut (at about 3 miles an hour) to prove to myself that I could hack it.  Had I walked away from the weekend without riding, I would've regretted it and been down on myself for a long time--but instead, I chose not to be paralyzed, but to be empowered.

A friend of mine recently confided in me about various relationship fears she has.  She shared about the long list of hurts she has experienced in previous relationships, and the deep wounds these have left.  In the meantime, another seemingly positive relationship opportunity has presented itself, and she found herself at a crossroads:  do I choose to invest in another relationship knowing the hurt could occur, or do I avoid it altogether, losing out on the potential gains that I could experience?  She has decided to move forward slowly in this relationship, taking it one day at a time and allowing the friendship to grow while she gains the strength and courage to enter the dating relationship, if she is ready to do so.  And I do believe she is. 

The third story is actually a picture my sister sent to me--and left me deep in thought. 

Often we mislabel our fears:  are you afraid of snakes, or are you afraid of being bitten?  Are you afraid of public speaking, or that others will laugh at you?  Was I afraid of the jet ski, or was I afraid of falling off/getting injured?  Was my friend afraid of relationships, or fearful of being hurt again?  I challenge you to look at the fears you identified last week and TRULY acknowledge the fear within this.