A Fearless New Year

Another year is here. Many people experience dread and anticipation along with fear as the new begins. Will I keep my job? Will I find a job? What about all the bills I have because of the loans or credit cards I used for Christmas? These questions scare most of us.

I don’t think it is so much these questions that scare us, but what they represent…THE UNKNOWN. This is where I urge you to think back to Sunday School or the sermon where you’ve heard, “Ye though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I shall Fear No Evil.” I’m not sure what verse it is, but I know what it means.

Sometimes we get so caught up in ourselves that we forget that we don’t have control anyway. We can seek guidance by getting down on our knees and talking to God. A lot of people like to “make deals” with God when they know they can’t control a situation. The simple fix would have been to just ask for His guidance in the beginning.

An example of how easy it is the story of how Summer, my wife, started working at Sonic. We had been selling merchandise at flea markets where we made a comfortable living. A couple of years ago, the media hype got so strong about how horrible the economy was that people quit buying. And just like that our income stopped. We tried “fixing” the problem ourselves without success. One night, we sat down and asked God for his help.

Keep in mind that we were hoping for our business to increase and things to stay like they had been. That’s not what happened. Instead, we stopped by Sonic the next day to get the kids a quick bite while we were “fixing” our situation. God answered our request by sending out a carhop that Summer used to work with. She excitedly looked at Summer and asked, “Are you coming back? They’ve got you on the schedule for next week.”

Needless to say that is not the answer we were looking for, but it has been sufficient to get our finances back on track. It has also been a great exposure to potential work from home opportunities and friends who stop by at the markets we attend. By listening to Him, we have also been rewarded with festivals where we can sell our merchandise at. Granted, the economy still hasn’t fully recovered, but we have seen an increase in sales.

My point to all of this is simple: Quit letting fear hold you back. Get down on your knees and ask God for help. You probably won’t be given the winning lottery numbers, but He will give you what you need. If you feel it has been on your heart to change jobs, start a family, get saved, open a business, go back to school, join a mission trip, then stop worrying and step out on Faith. He won’t let you fall farther than you can handle. Now is the time, because we aren’t promised tomorrow. As long as you have “One Fear”, you’ll be just fine.