Several years ago, I battled heavily with anxiety. Over the course of this struggle, my fear progressively, incrementally robbed me of life and joy. For some reason, I developed a fear of riding in cars. I can’t explain why that became the fixation of my fear. All I know is that I was afraid. Every time I heard of an accident, read about accident statistics, or saw wreckage on the side of the road, my fear would intensify. After a while, I began avoiding freeways. Then I began avoiding driving. Then I began avoiding even being a passenger in a car. Eventually, I was stuck, trapped in my own irrational snare of “What ifs.”
Thankfully, that mentality didn’t have a hold on my mind for too long.
But my experience with anxiety and fear has given me insight on how fear works.
Fear begins with the question, “What if?”
What if the worst should happen? What if I am harmed? What if this? What if that?
That question then becomes a fixation. That fixation eventually becomes a bondage.
Slowly, incrementally, progressively, eventually fear robs you of life.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7, KJV)
God did not create you to live in fear. It’s an insult to your Creator to squander the potential of life because of fear.
When you fix your mind on a worry, that worry becomes the center of your life. It’s one thing to take caution as you live your life; it’s another thing entirely to allow a fear to become your life. It’s not just harmful to live in fear; it’s immoral.
Fear will always assume the worst case scenario. You won’t ever be able to enjoy anything that God has gifted to you, because you’ll always be fearfully looking for what’s lurking in the very next moment.
Fear makes you irrational. It’s wisdom to be aware of risks and to do your part to avoid them. It’s foolish to put your life on hold until all risks are gone. If you get into a car to drive, you’re risking your life and the lives of others. Is it wisdom to halt all traffic until the day all traffic accidents are prevented? When you take your loved ones to enjoy a meal, you’re risking your life and the lives of others. Should we close all restaurants until the day that the government can prevent all food poisoning accidents and choking hazards? The most dangerous thing you’ll ever do is live. Caution, yes. Paranoia, no.
Fear makes you panic. Fear has the power to blow things so far out of proportion that it’s impossible to live. If you set your mind on something often enough and intentionally enough, its place in your thoughts grows. That’s how panic sets in. It’s amazing how panic works. There could be thousands of other risks and dangers present in the world. But panic will cause you to arbitrarily single out some specific risk or danger. With all the dangers that life presents, panic will scream, “Everyone put your life on hold until this one specific issue is dealt with.”
And it’s nonsensical, irrational, tragic. All irrational fear, no matter what it’s about, will eventually lead to this conclusion: let’s all stay sheltered until nothing bad ever happens again.
Fear makes you selfish. Fearful people can easily become selfish people. In an attempt to protect themselves, they demand that others too become just as fearful and panicked. Fear encourages you to attempt control over those around you. I used to do that. Whenever I was in the car, I wouldn’t let my loved ones drive on the freeway. The risk I wasn’t willing to take became the risk I wouldn’t let others take. I would make them feel bad for causing me to be afraid. But, I discovered, that’s just manipulation.
Now, of course, I’m not denying that there were very real dangers in the world. And wisdom avoids unnecessary or excessive risk. And some people are more vulnerable to certain dangers than others. That’s all to be considered. But don’t allow fear to make you put your life on hold, and don’t allow fear to make you demand that others put their lives on hold.
Stand up against fear. Resist the irrational at all costs. Don’t back down. Fight fear and claim the freedom that God has given to you - to live life. That’s the right thing to do, the selfless thing to do, the moral thing to do, the godly thing to do.
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