President Franklin Roosevelt in his first inaugural address in the depths of the depression of 1932 told our nation, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Fear is a very powerful tool. It’s been around since mankind was created. Our lives are shaped and impacted each day by the fears we carry.
Fears can keep us awake at night. They can lower our quality of life. Fears can create or end a marriage. They can change the direction of a person’s life. This is a daily happening across the world. I’m not sure there is anything that fear can’t cause to occur.
What role does fear play in your life? What fears do you have? What do you fear the most today? Your fears are probably about things that may occur in the future.
Fears rob us of joy today because of being anxious of something in the future. The issue here is not whether or not a fear will actually materialize, the issue is that our quality of life is diminished today because of focusing on something that may or may not occur tomorrow.
Understand that not one of us is bulletproof. We all have fears. Some of us have more fears than others. Some have bigger fears than others.
Life is really an exercise in managing fears. How you handle your fears will give direction to your life. John Wayne said that courage is not the absence of fear. “Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyhow.” What actions do you take while being scared to death?
There are countless things to fear in this world.
On a spiritual level, Satan is all about fear. God did not give us a spirit of fear. To win this battle your faith needs to be bigger than your fears.
This year Covid has caused every one of us to live in fear. Cancer causes fear. Alzheimers causes fear. We fear surgery. Many feared the results of the recent national election. We fear snakes. We fear public speaking. We fear old age. We fear death. We fear the dark. And we’re just scratching the surface.
Many organizations operate out of fear. The Ku Klux Klan burns a cross to impose fear. Black Lives Matter demonstrators riot to impose fear. Terrorists use fear when they make their demands. Bad guys use a gun to impose fear and to get their way. Bullies thrive with the use of fear. Used effectively, fear will manipulate and cause results in those who are fearful.
Most threats don’t result in action, but just in case they do, we can freak out over what might occur. I heard a speaker once say “97% of all of our fears never materialize.” Yet we still carry the burden of fear with us.
Most of our fears fall into the category of “fear of the unknown.” Fear of the unknown could be considered our greatest fear of all. It is how we respond to the fear of the unknown that shapes our lives. Fear of the unknown keeps many people from leaving bad situations.
Fear of failure is a major hindrance in our lives. How many actions are never taken by each one of us because of fear of failure? The first step of something that we need to be doing may not occur if we begin with the question “What is the worst thing that could happen?”
None of us can ever be a success if we’re afraid to fail. We must accept failure to have any chance of ever succeeding. Michael Jordan said “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” Is there something you need to be doing, but are not because of fear of failure?
Michael Jordan also said “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost over 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeeded.” We all need to conquer our fear of failure. We’ll never be a success unless we experience numerous failures.
So I ask you the question, how do you handle fear? How does fear impact you individually? What role does fear play in causing different behaviors in you? If you took out a sheet of paper and wrote down every fear you are experiencing, how long would your list be?
What if you could take your list of fears and put it in a box each morning when you get up, lock the box so it can’t be reopened, and live your day without worry or anxiousness?
Matthew 6:31-34 in the Bible tells us “Therefore do not worry saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Words of wisdom from almost 2,000 years ago.
Maybe we should turn our fears into prayers. Through prayer we can conquer our fears.
My challenge to you today is to recognize and acknowledge the fears in your life. Identify your fears and how they rob you of what you need to be doing today. Face your fears. Then ask yourself if these fears add value to your life. Assuming the answer is no, work on conquering your fears.
Don’t stop and look at the ground because of something that may or may not happen in the future. Keep moving and taking action. Focus on what you need to be accomplishing today. Put your fears in a box, leave them behind, and don’t go back.
What works for you may include exercise, relaxation, healthy eating, medication, counseling, or a support group.
Understand that your God has got this. Don’t tell Him about the storm, tell the storm about Him. Rise above and recognize your faith is greater than your fears.
I believe you can conquer your fears and when you do so it will add value to your life and your life will in turn add value to other lives. The only thing to fear is fear itself.
Just a fearless thought...
Rick Kraft is a motivational speaker, a syndicated columnist, a published author, and an attorney. To submit comments, contributions, or ideas, e-mail to rkraft@kraftlawfirm.orgmailto:thekraftlawfirm@aol.com or write to P.O. Box 850, Roswell, New Mexico, 88202 - 0850.
