There’s a monster in our house. That’s right-a big, ferocious tickle monster
that comes out daily. He seems to make
his way to both of my children, upon request. The laughter that echoes out of
their mouths will light up a room with joy.
How ridiculous would it be if I told my kids I couldn’t tickle
them because when they move, they could bump their heads on something and get
hurt? Pretty silly idea, right? So many intoxicating, playful times would be
lost all for what could happen.
Life is filled with great moments like that. The kind that
bring delight and pleasure. Sometimes, their short lived and others last much
longer than we expect. But, with those,
also come the trials and heartache. As
we age, we witness more blows so we come to expect the bad will always follow
the good. As a result, even when things are going smoothly, we will hold our
breath and wait for the other shoe to drop.
Why do we let the good things in our lives be overshadowed
by fear of what may come?
When opportunity presents itself, it’s easy for us to ask
the what if questions:
What if I give my heart away and it ends in heartbreak?
What if I pursue my dream and it crashes and burns?
What if I pitch an idea, apply for college or ask someone
out on a date and I’m rejected?
If we are worried about what will happen in the future, we can miss all the great things that happen in the present. To worry is to have fear and I’ve heard it
said there are 365 fear nots in the Bible. One for every day of the year. God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power
and love. (2 Timothy 1:7) Can any one of us by worrying add a single hour to our
lives? (Matthew 6:27)
The better question to ask ourselves is “what happens if we
don’t open our hearts, chase our dreams and risk rejection?” Then we will never
know what it means to step out in faith. The tickled pink feeling of new love. The gratifying sense of
accomplishment knowing we tried.
There are countless stories in the Bible of ordinary people,
like us, who, through their fears and doubt, trusted God and took a
chance. In turn, we are still reading
about those very people today. Can you imagine what it must’ve been like for
Moses, who didn’t think he could, to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land?
He had no idea what awaited them in the future and yet, he did it anyway.
God wants us to live faith filled lives as we trust Him with
every part of it. He wants to richly bless us with our hearts desires and watch
our wildest dreams come true. Does that mean we always get what we set out for?
No. Sometimes He says yes and sometimes no.
But “The rewards of the journey far outweigh the risk of leaving the
harbor.” (Author unknown)
