FEARLESS

FEARLESS!

What does that mean? 

Google’s words are Courageous, honest, confident, persistent, brave, purposeful, daring, resilient, authentic, unselfish, passionate, and perseverent. Many strong words describe fearlessness; I desire to be these things in all aspects of my life. But how do you become a fearless person? How do you stay confident and persistent when the odds are against you? My body never wants to cooperate! I want to be resilient no matter what my test score says at school or that I must do school through the summer to keep up with other kids my age. I want to be daring enough to try a new medical product or make new friends because the ones I have may no longer be in my season of life or have moved on. 

This was my thought process when I heard the word “daring” back in junior high and high school. I’m sure you, as readers, have also dealt with these thoughts. I still sometimes doubt how to live fearlessly. I am much older and have lived a life full of constant transitions and unknowns, but I hope this blog post encourages you to truly LIVE FEARLESS by breaking down the word and once again taking it in strives instead of feeling the need to do this entirely or not at all. 

F-Faith

What we have faith in dictates how we determine what we choose to do or not do. If our trust is in others telling us what is right and not right, then being fearless feels lonely, but if the way we live is filled with God’s presence, and you know that in your heart, you can believe He is for you. (ALWAYS!) 

E-Embrace Now 

I don’t know what part of life you are rolling through or walking through right now, but here is something I’ve learned. Number one is God never gives us more than we can handle, and if I rush His timing, I am always restless and fearful of the future. Instead, the posture of our hearts needs to Embrace the Now. Learning to be fearless in the now prepares you to embrace what is coming because you’ve experienced other challenges you’ve conquered by embracing that first and moving forward.

A-Authenticity 

Learning to be fearless means becoming authentic with yourself and others. Be genuine with people around you when you need encouragement and when you can share your experiences with others. Your honesty can bring someone out of a fearful moment. It’s also important to be authentic with ourselves and examine where we are and where we need healing within us. Maybe there is something you fear, and admitting it is difficult, but how can you move forward without facing it? 

R-Release 

Releasing our fear can only happen by surrendering it to Jesus. We can hype ourselves up and have all the motivation to finish what we’ve struggled with, but the enemy knows exactly how to place it back in front of us. The true release is not knowing the outcome but surrendering it anyway—closing our eyes and saying, “God, I release this fear to be fearless even if I don’t know what will happen next.”

L-Learn 

Learning through fearful experiences and choosing to make change. Every time I have a doctor’s appointment, I must leave all my nerves in the car, and no matter what I learn inside that test or visit, I go with a fearless heart. Yes, I still might get disappointing news, and I have to live with it, but I can also learn how to handle that and not leave stressed but instead say to myself, “Okay, what is this going to teach me to learn how to live with this news.” 

E-Establish 

I have established medical things in my life that are not going to change, no matter the treatment or surgery, and it has become a fact of life, but there are thoughts I go through constantly that leave me fearful. So, how do I start changing that mindset? By establishing truths that remind me who my God is and how, yes, He has created me the way I am, but that does not define me but instead should push me to turn those fearful thoughts and moments into motivation and the ambition to make this my moments to share how yes, it’s a choice every day to look in the mirror and say, “I am beautiful” or ” I will accomplish this today” and through time make my fearful thoughts a fearless testimony. Acceptance of who you are establishes identity. 

S-Satisfied 

When you begin to see progress, are you satisfied? To live fearlessly doesn’t mean that fear won’t try to creep back, but we can enjoy the wins we lived through and can live with the satisfaction of every therapy session, tutoring session, chapter of a book we finish, mile we walk, or wheel is a stunning win! Learning satisfaction or a sense of contentment helps us be in the moment and make our moments shine for the wins we need to strive for complete fearlessness! 

S-Spirit Lead 

Dealing with fear is a tiring road, and it comes daily, unfortunately. However, I’ve learned in my life that the Holy Spirit is also a constant companion we can speak to. When the Spirit leads, it quiets the fears whispering in your ear or the anxiety in your stomach. The countless times I’ve been in a test like a CT scan, my body begins to panic, and the only person in the room is me. So my mind races and my heart feels like it’s going to burst, but when I silence my automatic response and turn to Jesus, the Holy Spirit speaks truth, life, and wisdom and reminds me that I am not alone. He encourages me with stories in the Bible of people’s fears and how God took them and made them bold. The inspirational people who have lived with disabilities before me of all kinds and how they learned to live FEARLESS! One of my favorite songs is from Bethel called “Oceans,” and the lyrics say, “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders.” That is my prayer every time fear tries to take my fearlessness. 

A quote I found says this, “Fear says, “WHAT IF” Faith says, “EVEN IF.” 

My fearful thoughts say, “What if this happens?” But a fearless heart through Jesus says, “Even if this happens, I trust you.” 

Living FEARLESS is a process and a daily choice, but He gives us the strength to walk/wheel with this!