Call Fear’s Bluff; Don’t Be Its Hostage!

The other day my friend Dave and I went out to grab lunch. After lunch, we grabbed some coffee and a snack at Starbucks, and headed over to the River Walk – a strip of land that stretches several miles along the river in the downtown area where I live.

When we got to the River Walk, we were approached by two geese. And these geese came REALLY close to us. I mean, these geese were so close, we could have kissed them had we wanted to. 

As these geese walked up to Dave and I, they started hissing and opening their beaks – as if they wanted food or something. Realizing that we had just grabbed coffee and a snack at Starbucks, we figured they probably wanted a piece of our food.

(But we didn’t feel like sharing that day, so we didn’t give any to them.)

I knew that geese were known for being mean animals, so I kept my distance and backed away, afraid that they were going to bite us.

But Dave didn’t move away and Dave wasn’t afriad.

In fact, Dave just sat there, not moving an inch, while these geese came up to him demanding their portion of his food.

I stood back on the grass and waited for the geese to leave. (While Dave sat calmly, geese right in front of him, not budging an inch.)

Eventually the geese realized, “Hey, these guys aren’t giving us anything to eat…let’s bounce,” and they left.

We had survived. We weren’t bitten or harmed. Yes, these two geese had hissed at us and scared one of us (me), but that was it.

Then I had this thought: I let fear get the best of me because I bought into the lie it was telling me.

“Don’t sit there! The geese are going to bite you,” my fear was screaming at me.

But that wasn’t true… at all.

My fear of being bit by these two geese had momentarily kept me from peacefully enjoying the beautiful outdoors on the side of the river.

Then I wondered: Am I allowing fear to keep me from doing anything else in life? Is fear holding me back from trying new things, stepping out in faith, and trying remarkable work?

Yes, there are times when fear is good. We should have a holy, reverent fear for God that respects and honors Him. Yes, when you are afraid of getting on that motorcycle without a helmet, that is probably a good idea. (Then again, that’s also just WISE!). But there are also times – many times – when fear holds us back from trying new things, stepping out in faith, and doing something outside our comfort zone that will benefit other people. 

Call fear’s bluff, and don’t let it hold you hostage.

Don’t let fear keep you from living life with peace, joy, and courage. Plus, if we are in Christ, He has given us a Spirit of power, love, and self-control, not a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7).

Don’t let fear hold you hostage. Call it’s bluff and live life with courage and faith!

Is fear holding you back from trying anything worth doing? Do you need to tell fear to “Take a hike!” ?