Our dog Jenni is absolutely fearless…this is one of her favorite spots. At times I even forget that she’s there, right beside me as I drive thru the ranch. She is focused……her job is to be fearless.
I love to watch Jenni. Her little legs tremble when the truck drives thru brush, she can’t wait to clinch a branch with her teeth. She bounces across the pasture, searching for rabbits, lizards and mice. She has warned of raccoons, rattlesnakes, and skunks. Her bark is different depending on the danger. As you can see she’s little but there’s nothing she won’t at least try to tackle.
I have been learning a few lessons about living fearless. Fear-less, might be a better way of putting it. My friends know I am not completely “fearless”. I am not one to just jump in with both feet but I am more of , let me practice it a few times and I will gain more confidence to overcome. Even though I still have fears, I have learned that each day I become more “FEAR-LESS”…….
- I fear less about what people think
- I fear less about trying to be someone else
- I fear less about making mistakes
- And I fear less about being out of control
I fear less about what people think: This may seem easy and you can even say to yourself, “Oh, I don’t care what people think of me.” That may be true for some, but in reality it is true for very few. I don’t mean for you to become, self absorbed, or non caring. I believe this risk losing compassion on people if we don’t think about what people think. In this case am referring to not losing our faith, not shrinking back on our calling. We as Christians have become silent. We have stopped speaking up. The silence from us has meant approval to anything and everything.
I fear less about trying to be someone else: Do you ever catch yourself looking around trying to be someone else? I remember when I first became a pastor’s wife. I thought I needed to be just like the previous pw. I thought she’s a better fit than me, she probably knew more of the Word than me…and a whole list of attributes that I didn’t have. I learned though that I didn’t need to even try to be her. I found the more I was authentic, admitted my shortcomings, and just followed God, my worries about being someone else just diminished.
I fear less about mistakes: I will admit I want to look good….I want to do my best. Some of the best lessons I’ve learned have been thru trial and error. I know I like things to run smoothly whether at home or at a meeting, or even when I’m riding in the pasture. Every time I go out to work during calving season or shipping, I learn something new. I hope I’ve taken mistakens and learned from them…..I am a work in progress though!
I fear less about being out of control: How much do you worry about things you have no control over? I would say I was using up probably 80% of my day worrying about people going thru something tough at church, my boys, who would serve on the building team at church, or the sick cow in the pen. This is the conclusion I’ve come to…….Pray first…I always come back to that. Take responsibility and work hard. Don’t try to do someone else’s job. I can’t do my husband’s job, I can’t make my boys decisions. I can encourage, I can guide, I can support, and I can listen……I even do a decent job making people laugh. Everything I need God will help me with, when I need it.
Each time I see my little dog, Jenni, I am reminded of living a “fear-less” life. I want to go after it, remembering these four areas that have affected me the most. I remember most of all these words…
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matt 6:34
Just out of curiosity I wonder what you have become “fear-less’” about. Please leave me a comment below.
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