Fear not friends. We’re all afraid.

I wish I weren’t so scared so often.

 

How about you?

 

Are you a chicken?

 

Jason and I were at the barn the other day.  He was milking Rosie.  I was talking. (I know, surprise!) When ALL of the chickens started, SQUAWKING & scurrying for cover!!!

 

J spotted the culprit just as it flew out of sight.  A hawk.

 

One feathered foul causing such a ruckus for a whole flock of others.

 

Isn’t that life.

 

How is it we allow one event, one person, one comment to cause such a ruckus?

 

Can I be honest?  I’m scared.  Scared of more than I care to admit but to name a few plus one:

 

• Bombing this parenting gig.  It’s hard.  And boys are messy and scary. Crude and brave.
• Saying too much or not enough
• Appearing as though I have it “all together” because social media lies.  If I haven’t made it clear here, just ask my husband or my mom or my sisters.  They will tell you (if you’ve got time) of the countless ways -I am a walking disaster.
• The ideas in my head.

 

That last bullet is where I’m camped today.   There are a couple of crazy ideas that have been bouncing around in my head for a while now, but then I get scared and don’t want to think about them anymore because who enjoys being scared?  But then there are these words I share with my boys and lots of women,

 

“Fear not.”

 

And then, “Fear not..”  reminds me

 

“Submit yourself to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee.  Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”

 

Isn’t it funny how we share words with people and yet we will not hear them when it comes to our circumstance?

 

I don’t want to be like our chickens.  Scurrying from fear.  Hiding from what may be out there.

 

I want to be found more faithful than fearful.  You too?

 

Did you know 85% of the things we worry about never even happen?!

 

So, here’s a challenge.  Find one person of whom you can be completely honest and give breath to your fear.  Say it out loud and see what happens.  What many have found is once we’ve given the fear life, it dies.

 

Ready?

 

Say it out loud, “I am scared of _____________.”

 

 

Too scared to say it out loud?  Here is mine:

 

I am scared to finish our memoir. I am scared it won’t be good enough.  What if people don’t like it?  What if people do?  What will the book require of my family?

 

There.

 

I said it.

 

Five of my current fears.  Out loud.  It’s funny, on this white screen, fears don’t sound so scary.  They don’t sound intimidating at all.

 

A friend recently invited me to join a Facebook group.  At first, I thought, Oh boy, another group.  But after a brief visit, this one looked different. Jennie Allen started the group.  She is writing a new book and has declared she doesn’t feel like she is enough.  This woman is the founder of IF: Gathering that has reached hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people for Christ.  She has written books, is a wife, mother, sister, daughter, teacher.  Her transparency to start this Facebook group on a whim and confess her fear of not being enough inspired this post.  Because once she confessed her fears hundreds of others confessed theirs.  And then I got all excited because I started thinking about all of the fears that will die because one person was brave enough to say, “I’m scared.”

 

Okay, before I get fired up again, it’s your turn. Fear not friends.  You are braver than you think.  You are not alone.  Like our flock of chickens, when we are scared together,  scary isn’t so scary.

 

Now, GO! Say it out loud and let fear die!

 

much love,

P.S.  A few other updates because I should blog more:

Upcoming Events:

• My oldest turns 10 in two days.  If you hear wailing and sobs on Thursday-  fear not.  It’s just me.
• If you missed the podcast of the letter, my sister wrote after the loss of our son  LISTEN HERE
• First Baptist Women, One Nation Under God, Monday, April 18th @6 Fort Payne, Al
• RCC Professional Luncheon, Wednesday, April 27th @12 Rainsville, Al
• Vernon United Methodist Church, Friday, April 29th @ 6 Gardendale, Al
• #PrayBig will be at the Pine Ridge Baptist Church Spring Fling, Saturday, April 30th  9-3
• Broadway Baptist Church, Monday, May 16th @6:30
• #PrayBig & Fort Payne Feed & Garden will be at Vintage Pickin’ Barn Sale, May 20 & 21, Fyffe, Al