what are you afraid of...

one of my favorite women to read about in the old testament is esther...

esther was a woman who rose up courageously in spite of feeling afraid...even though she was the queen, she was not allowed to see her husband, the king, unless he called for her...however, when she found out that her people were going to be killed, she bravely entered the court of the king on behalf of her people and was willing to lay down her life...willing to risk it all...because of her courage, a nation of people was saved...yes, she was afraid...but she stepped forward anyway. why? because the cause was greater than herself...

for a cause bigger than herself...

i believe this is how the Lord wants us to live...to be victorious for what is true and right...to ride triumphantly for the cause of truth, mercy, and justice...

what is needed to be this warrior? what are the qualities of a good soldier?

first...we need courage...so many people are bound up with one fear or another...fear of the unknown...fear of the future...fear of the economy...fear fear fear...

but if i am to take my place on the earth as a warrior...as a soldier...i must kill the fear and develop courage...

you and i have been given courage...and we've been given this courage so that we can fight the fears that attempt to knock us off course...we have been given courage to finish the journey set before us...

fear can act like a brake on your life...it stops you from becoming and doing all God wants you to be and do...it limits your potential and hinders your ability to be effective...

when we are afraid, we don't try new ideas because we fear that they will fail or we will be rejected, and so we miss opportunities for success...

what we need to do is to push through the fear...

every person who ever did anything amazing started out just a bit afraid...it is always a risk to try something new...

don't let fear keep you small...don't let the fear contain the potential inside you...

now, i understand the need for wisdom and caution...but i refuse to live my life in fear of what may happen...

rick warren says of fear: fear causes us to cover up... fear causes us to wear masks...fear causes us to avoid saying what we're really thinking, to pretend that we're somebody that we're not...it causes us to lie...the greatest block to intimacy in a marriage, a friendship, or any relationship is fear...why am i afraid to tell you who i am? because if i tell who who i am, you may not like who i really am, and i'm all i've got...fear causes us to hide, and it ruins relationships...fearful people cannot give love, and fearful people cannot receive love...fearful people cannot make commitments to others...fear cannot allow me to let my hair down and be real...

wow...

how many times have you said, "i'm afraid i might get hurt again"?...so you don't open up to anyone, therefore limiting your own life...and keeping yourself from the relationships that could very well bring you joy...

have the courage to open your heart again...you need to be wise about whom you open it to, but you need to open it again...

i started this post based on the comment...for a cause bigger than yourself...and i told the story of esther...who was willing to risk her life...

the thing is...i'm not sure we will be asked very often to give up our physical lives...but perhaps our egos...

awww...our egos...now there is a touchy one...

our egos are not sacred...we need to be willing to lay aside our rights and perhaps our desires in order to achieve the greater good...

be courageous...be the first to say, "i'm sorry"
be courageous...love your enemies...
be courageous...choose a friend outside your culture...
be courageous...tell the truth instead of the lie that might want to spring to your lips...
be courageous...stay committed to the path of love even when it's hard...
be courageous...

a warrior knows how to handle fear..but also has the courage to forgive...

more on that tomorrow...