You are my inspiration and my stumbling block. Yes, you! This has been my first week into my Year of No Fear, and I thought you should know that the impetus for it originated from my care for you– but also from my fear of you. Although fear has invaded several areas of my life over the years, my current motivation to overcome it was initiated by the insecurity of revealing myself and my family on the internet—and how you (people, in general) would respond.  Here are some of my specific fears:

1) fear I might do something “wrong” (in  a tech-culture sort of way) while posting

2) fear that someone would either consider me or my family members weak or pathetic, and feel sad for or even critical toward us

3) fear of the opposite—that sharing victories or blessings would cause people to think I am boastful or conceited

4) fear of  writing or sharing something that someone might consider worthless

Some people might call these “insecurities”, but it is fear at its core.  While many consider public speaking to be a major fear, public writing (online) has been one of mine.  My friend Amy (www.CapacityforJoy.Wordpress.com) describes honest blogging as akin to public speaking in a bikini.  She’s right. It can be scary letting all your private stuff hang out–especially when you have experienced criticism while being vulnerable in real life.

But that is ultimately not an excuse to succumb to fear—in this case, as the Bible puts it, “the fear of men”.  We need to get to the point where we get serious about fearing (revering and obeying) God! His call to us is not to be ignored–even if it makes us uncomfortable!  And ultimately, obeying His call frees us to be our genuine selves and liberates us from the anxiety of wondering what other people think.  God wired me to love writing and with a desire to make a difference in the world.  Sometimes my attempts to live out my calling might seem mediocre, average, or less-than average.  And I’ve decided that’s ok. Really. I posted a video (sea turtle) on my Facebook page a few weeks ago in spite of its mediocrity (compared to cute cat videos).  I specifically posted it to overcome my fear of sending out mediocre content.  Some people actually liked it, but that’s not the point.  That turtle brought me joy and I wanted to share it.  Good enough. There. Done.

Are you “afraid of men”?

What are you doing–or not doing–because you are afraid?

What potential blessings are you missing?

What can you do this week to take a little chip out of your fear?

In my next blog, I’ll relate this concept to special needs parenting and consider how God historically has moved His people through fear.  God’s work is historically and currently life-changing, so tune in.

But for today, I want you to know that I’m not afraid of you.  So, in honor of God, in response to his call on my life, and to move forward in my theme for the year, I’m pressing PUBLISH on this blog site.

Good enough. There. Done!