One of my favorite bloggers is Seth Godin. He recently wrote a short blog entitled “How do I get rid of the fear?” He makes a wonderful point about fear. He says that asking that question is “the wrong question. The only way to get rid of the fear is to stop doing things that might not work, to stop putting yourself out there, to stop doing work that matters. No, the right question is, "How do I dance with the fear?" Fear is not the enemy. Paralysis is the enemy.”
Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is taking action in the midst of fear. If you wait to take action only when you feel no fear, you will be waiting for a long time. God has called us to live in a world where anxiety, fear and worry are too familiar. Yet He has equipped us through the Holy Spirit to be witnesses, in word and action, of a different way of living. When facing fear, we must take action. If we are immobilized, or paralyzed, the fear can overwhelm. But when we remember that ‘if God is for us, who can be against us,” then fear does not have to win. We can take action despite the fear. We won’t always be successful but that’s not the point. Success cannot always be seen. The ultimate success we should seek is the success that is seen by God, sometimes only by God. Such faithfulness has its own rewards. When we take action in the midst of fear, God notices. To be used by God in the midst of the turmoil of this world is the greatest way to live one’s life.