Halloween was Saturday and with that tradition, the focus is always on being scared. Being scared in a freaky Halloween way is fun, but truly being afraid is never fun, and considering the Covid situation we’re all facing, there is definitely a lot to be afraid of these days.
But fear is a bad thing that tends to hold us back and it can manifest itself it in a lot of different ways. For me, I’ve noticed that when I’m afraid, it’s usually because I’m worried about the outcome of something and therefore have self-doubt. I guess doubting yourself is normal at times, but it’s a choice that is usually not good, and besides, isn’t our faith supposed to overcome our fear?
Recently I read a story about the founder of GoDaddy.com that addressed the problems of fear and self-doubt. Before Bob Parsons became a successful businessman, he was a Marine rifleman in Vietnam. The day he arrived in a combat zone as a rookie replacement in a squad that had just lost five men in an ambush, he confronted the likelihood that he would not make it out alive. He says he sat down next to the window inside an old French fort his unit was occupying and had the first (and only) anxiety attack of his life. He finally overcame his terror by resolving to do the best job he could and be satisfied with it regardless of the outcome. It was a transformative moment that helped him to develop the courage needed to succeed as a soldier and as a businessman. He made the statement, “If you can accept the worst that can happen to you and live with it, you can move forward with confidence because your mind won’t get in the way and you’ll find yourself accomplishing more than you’ve ever dreamed.”
I like Bob’s perspective of “accepting the worst that can happen - so you can move forward”. But I have something to add. Looking back on my life I can see there were many times that I was truly scared and full of self-doubt. Like when I quit a good job to start my very first company, or when I stood up at Church to share my story of faith, or especially when I asked my wife if she would marry me! When I think back about those moments, I remember being scared and full of self-doubt, but I also remember focusing on my faith and asking God for help… and He has never once let me down.
So, if I take’s Bob perspective of overcoming self-doubt through commitment and combine it with my perspective of replacing doubt with faith, I’m pretty sure fear goes right out the window. I mean, why would I ever choose to doubt myself, when God has never once chosen to doubt me!
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