love-driven vs fear-driven

Cancer, Faith, and Unexpected Joy -- Becky Baudouin

About ten years ago I decided I wanted to live the second half of my life differently than the way I had lived the first half. During my school years and well into my twenties, I had lived my life largely driven by fear. I stuttered as a child and young adult, and fears of rejection, failure, and shame were my daily companions. For the most part, I avoided situations that caused me anxiety, and I said no to things I was afraid of. 

My moment of clarity happened on a zip line. My husband and I had taken our daughters to Spring Hill Family Camp in Michigan, and we decided a zip line would be fun. It wasn't until I began strapping on my helmet and my harness, until I began to ascend the several flights of wooden stairs leading me up to the platform where I would have to JUMP OFF (I obviously had not thought this through), until I saw my precious daughters and my adventurous husband sitting on their perches looking at me as if to say, "Come on already--let's do this!", that I was confronted with my lifelong pattern of letting fear call the shots. Because of my panic, I said, "I don't really want to do this, so I'll just go back down the stairs and watch you guys from the ground." I don't know if it was the looks of disappointment on my daughters' faces, or the camp counselor talking me through my scary imaginations, or the fact that God had been preparing my heart for this moment, but I realized that as much as I wanted to say no, there was this other part of me that didn't want that to be the way the story played out. There was this other part of me that wanted to say yes, that was tired of being afraid and so wanted to be free. So I jumped. I said yes and I found that it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I said yes and experienced something new and exciting with people I love. And when I said yes, my daughters saw me be brave. 

In the couple of years leading up to my zip line moment, I had begun saying yes to things that scared me: a volunteer position at church that made me editor and contributor for a marriage workshop newsletter, submitting some of my articles for consideration at newspapers and magazines, attending a writers' conference and meeting one-on-one with editors and publishers to pitch my work, and then deciding that I would give public speaking a try (after several people at the conference told me I should give it a go.)

I still feared rejection and failure, but because of the work that God was doing in my life--mostly through small groups and bible studies and the people in them who showed me acceptance and grace--God's love was reshaping my identity.  In I John 4 we read that God's perfect love drives out fear, and as we experience His love (largely through loving one another), we come to know and rely on His love. I began to think differently., and instead of avoiding everything I was afraid of, I began to take some risks. I'd think, "OK, I may fail. I may be rejected. But even if that happens, God totally loves and accepts me as I am." I was getting used to this strange combination of anxiety and excitement, of fear and hope, and one decision at a time, I was saying yes to some things that scared me -- things I thought I could never do.

I've been surprised by how much I enjoy some of the things I feared so much. Not the zip line--that was not my thing. Didn't love it. But speaking to groups about topics I am passionate about? I LOVE doing that. Who knew? Well, actually, God knew. I felt Him gently nudging me, inviting me to try new things, and after I spoke in front of my first group and shared my story, I swear I heard Him whisper to my heart, "See! I knew you'd love it.""

On our recent trip to México to visit my husband's family, we rode in a hot air balloon over the pyramids of Teotihuacan. I was terrified all week leading up to this excursion, and it may seem like it was a brave thing for me to do. (I'm afraid of heights. And hot balloons.) But here's the truth...I went in the balloon because I was afraid not to. The thought of watching the people I love most get into a wicker basket that is tethered to a balloon with giant balls of fire inside and float up into the sky without me scared me way more than actually riding in the balloon itself.  If something catastrophic were going to happen, I didn't want to watch it from the ground. But I have to tell you--I loved it. I mean I was totally freaked out and scared out of my mind, but it was incredibly beautiful and peaceful at the same time, And seeing about twenty other balloons on flights all around us was breathtaking. 

As far as fear goes, I'm always struggling with some kind of anxiety. I think it's sort of hard-wired into me. It's something I learned and practiced for so many years that it's hard to not think anxiety-inducing thoughts. I always have something on my calendar that scares me.  And I'm always making up catastrophic things in my head that most likely will never happen. 

When my Mom was diagnosed with incurable, inoperable, terminal cancer, I felt fear like I had never felt before. I wanted to find a clinic or a hospital, a treatment or a doctor, anything that would save her. It was the worst news ever. And over the eight heart-wrenching months that followed, as I tried my best to come to terms with my impending loss, I saw my Mom say no to fear. Everyday. I saw her hold on to Jesus, everyday. I saw her trust God's wisdom and His plan for her life. She became a conduit of peace to those around her because she allowed God's love to drive out her fears. She believed that no matter what happened, God was with her. He loved her. And she was secure in His love.

I am learning to rely on God's love. Hard things are going to happen. I am going to fail and feel rejection. Unexpected losses will occur, and at times I will hurt. But God's love is knowable and reliable. It is steadfast and ever-lasting, and it is powerful enough to free us from all of our fears. Perfect love drives out fear. Because of His amazing love for us, we really do not have to be afraid.  What is keeping you from living freely in God's love?                                                                                                                                                                      #cancerfaithandunextpectedjoy #fear #courage #perfectlovedrivesoutfear #godslove #anxiety #freedom

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