Proper use, control of fear

As a kid, we lived in a house with a basement straight out of a horror movie. Not only was there a constant wet smell, and its stone walls seemed to crumble every time you touched them, the only light was a pull chain and a bulb at the bottom of the stairs. As a result, the basement was dark, damp and smelled.

The basement was also where we kept our chest freezer. One of my jobs was to go to the basement anytime my mom needed something from the freezer. I was sure the only thing keeping me from devouring by the monsters living in the basement was that single pull-chain light bulb. I knew that as I turned off the light, I had a millisecond to reach the top of the stairs before becoming some demonic creature's lunch. To this day, when I walk out of a dark room, I feel fear.

Fear can take a situation, elevate and empower it beyond what it is capable of, simultaneously trapping you in the process. Fear motivates what Proverbs 22:13 calls the sluggard to cry: "There is a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!" Their fear of lions, and the slim chance that a lion could be on their street, created a situation that did not exist, results that would never happen, and a person trapped in their home. I imagine that the person of Proverbs 22:13 wants to go outside, work, and have a family, but their fear of what might be keeps them in the security of their home.

Fear is an authentic feeling. But fear is not the issue. The issue is how you respond to the feeling of being afraid. For example, a poor response to fear looks for lions where they do not live. A healthy fear creates a sense of cautiousness, takes calculated risks and establishes necessary precautions.

There are two critical questions to ask yourself when facing your fears. First, what about this situation, not my feelings, is true? Is there a basement monster? Could I be rejected? Might I lose my life savings in this new business? What is true?

Second, what calculated risks am I willing to take? What precautions am I setting up so I can take calculated risks despite my fearful feelings? Fear alone is never a reason not to do something.

Fearful feelings can trap you. Or, they could be the liberating emotion to push you to the life you've dreamed of living.