Well, isn’t this a true statement? We would literally be paralyzed if we did this. Oh, but isn’t it easy to do and haven’t all of us done it? “What if’s” are stifling!
We stall because we are afraid of the “what if”. My friend, Diane, yelled back at me “what if?” when I was crying, “what if………?”, she asked what if my “what if” was the means to the breakthrough? That was a sobering moment! The very thing I was afraid of was the thing that could cause change! And it did!
I have had to make decisions regardless of how scary they have appeared. In those moments I remind myself that God constantly reminded people to fear not hundreds of times in the Bible. When we are afraid we tend to focus on everything that could possibly go wrong. We choose very rarely focus in that moment to focus on what all could go right.
I know it because I have had those moments many times. I remember when I was at family camp and we were all challenged to repel off of this mountain. As I looked up at the TA’s, who were at the top of the mountain, my first thought was OOOOOhhhhh my God, I am not doing that. My family and everyone else was looking up gasping. At that very moment I said, “Forget it I am going first.” I had to immediately confront my fear and start the trek up the mountain before I listened to everyone else complain, moan and groan about reasons not to and what might happen. I had to shut out every voice and just go do it. I was the first one in my family to go!
The next challenge when I got up there was to jump off. Another very difficult decision. This took a little more time and coaxing. I just quickly strapped up and took the step off the ledge. Once I took that initial step I knew it was the right decision. I knew it was opening up countless opportunities for me to really enjoy this camp if I just got through this moment. This camp was a week long and there were going to be lots of adventures. I did not want to spend the whole week afraid to do anything.
I could not make the decision to jump if I had stood around and listened to every one talk about how crazy it was how scary it was or what could happen. I would have never done one of the most courageous things I had ever done. Fear was something I had struggled with in my life up to this point. I am so glad I did it, I believe it was one of the most defining moments in my life and a turning point for me dealing with my fears. I am so grateful for that Family Camp. I learned to overcome my fears and it has helped me so much grow in my walk in life.
Thinking about the “what if’s? can paralyze you and keep you from doing the very things that you are supposed to do. Most of the time the thing you fear doesn’t even happen. It is really something that keeps us from accomplishing our dreams in life. The way I see it if the “might happens” happen, brush your self off and keep it moving!