Fear of the unknown...

     I've been thinking recently about what holds us back from new and exciting things in our lives.  I believe many times the biggest obstacle for me is the fear of the unknown.  It can keep me paralyzed and stagnant, sometimes in places where I don't want to be in my life. 
     This can take many forms, whether it's in a dating relationship, a job, choosing to go back to school, etc.  How many times in those situations do we find ourselves saying "what if...?" 
     Now I'm not saying I've conquered this fear because just the other day I went through all these thoughts again.  But last fall I participated in a Bible study with a group of my friends and we were forced to face the big "what if" questions.
     At the time I was still living at home with my parents.  For years I'd struggled with the fear of someone breaking into our house.  I have no idea where this fear comes from.  Nothing like this has ever happened to me, but it was holding me back from moving out. 
     This bible study leader made us look at the tough situations such as "what if someone breaks into my house?"  Then she had you walk through the worst case scenario by saying "then what?". 

     For instance-

     "If someone breaks into my house, I'd be SO scared!." 

     Ok, then what?

      "Well, I'd try to get out or defend myself."

     Ok, then what?

     "They might try to kill me!"

     Ok, then what?

 "Well, then I'd be in heaven."

     You get the idea...

     After walking through each moment and facing the worst case scenario, I began to see that my fears weren't so unknown anymore.  I'd taken the time to look them in the face and examine what my next step would be.        

    I'm happy to say that I moved into my first apartment in April and am LOVING it!  Those first few nights in my new place I definitely faced some obstacles with my fears.  Even now, months later I inevitably hear myself go "but, what if..." and am reminded to walk through it again. I find that doing this takes the power out of the fear and that's a huge relief!  

     I encourage you to try this if you find yourself crippled by fear.  God may have the biggest and best experience of your life waiting around the corner, but if you're holding onto the "what ifs", you'll never get there. Don't allow the fear of the unknown to keep you from life's joys, like my first apartment! Face the fear and when you do, you may find it's not as scary as you thought it would be.