The Natives Are Nervous

The news of my new writing career and impending road trip have gone from words to be celebrated to words to be anxious about. The friends and family that were encouraging me are now giving way to concern now that my choices have settled in. What caused this? I believe it is fear. Fear does a lot of damage. I am sure they are sitting around, conversing with each other over the “What Ifs”. What if I don’t get the book done? What if it’s not successful? What if something happens on the road? Why do I want to take on a road trip with a 3 year old? What about finances? What about, what about and what if…..
The thing is, no matter what adventure you take on in life, if it isn’t the norm, people will be nervous. They will express their own anxiety over the inability to take something like that on themselves. They will roll through every awful Doomsday-like scenario in an effort to “just make sure you’ve thought it through”. That’s a lie. What they are really saying is, “I couldn’t do something like this, I’d be too afraid”. I have had these conversations painted in a spirit of “just making sure you’re being responsible”.
Fear and faith cannot live in the same body. Either I am trusting in my fear of the negative or I am trusting in God to help me fulfill my purpose. I believe that I have a God-given opportunity to do something great. To use my experiences in life to encourage others. That takes steps that most wouldn’t dare to take. Noah built an ark in the middle of the desert! Can you imagine watching this guy work day after day on this boat bigger than an ocean liner in the sand? People thought he was all out crazy! Now, he is recorded in the halls of biblical history, forever.
Point being, I’ve thought it out. I’ve counted the costs, literally and figuratively. I get up every day driven by this purpose. Focused and determined, I write. I am calm, motivated and hopeful. If I am meant to write for the rest of my days, then that is God’s purpose and nothing can mess with His plans for me.
Another example other than Noah that I reference is Colonel Sanders. He had a great recipe for fried chicken. He knew it. Problem was, no one else wanted his recipe. He tried and tried to get someone to buy one of the best recipes he ever came up with. Restaurant to restaurant he went. He often slept in his car and went broke trying to get someone to pay attention to what he’d created. Finally, his dream became a reality. I am sure his family and friends told him to give up and just get a job. It was a stupid, silly idea this “chicken thing”. Well, if he’d trusted in his fear-based friends he would have missed out on one of the most successful fried chicken restaurants out there. His concept would be copied by others, only furthering his success. Imagine if he’d given in to the fear of others and decided they were right instead of trusting his purpose and direction.
The successful are few. The very successful even more scarce. Why? Because fear kills dreams, stops people from living their purpose and enchains them in bondage. I don’t give in to fear. Right or wrong, there is a lesson in everything in life and all things have purpose. The next time you are afraid to pursue what you love, ask yourself why you don’t move forward.