About Those Days When We Forget What We're Made Of...

There's a quiet, thieving killer that moves among us, and it doesn't carry a single physical weapon. It doesn't need to. It simply needs to whisper in your ear. Its voice is soft, and it often even sounds friendly at first. "Maybe not today," it says. "Maybe next week. Maybe when you've got things all figured out." And we nod along like obedient children because it always sounds sensible at the start. Who is this diabolical doubter? None other than Fear itself.

Now, this Fear doesn't jump out from dark alleys at you and scare your socks right off; it waits in the corners of your mind. It finds a cozy spot deep within the walls of your heart and decides to take up residency. And it convinces us of its sound and valuable sense. It presents itself as caution, and it sounds like that little judgy voice that asks you, Who do you think you are? It reminds us that we are inadequate as it holds our coats while we watch someone else step into their destiny. And it convinces us that stillness is safety, and that if we stay small, we won't have to suffer through the disappointment of failing. And failure feels like a humiliating death.

But that's the trick, isn't it? If we are frozen in place, we are already dying in bits and pieces. In fractions. A little at a time. One "maybe later" after another. Fear is the great life-killer. It doesn't stop your heart; it stops your becoming.

And yet, here's the thing, deep in our hearts we know better. We know we were made to be our best selves. We ache for it. I believe there's this wild, pulsing dream that God plants in the center of every human chest, and it won't quit. It's the part of you that stands on the edge of something new and says, "Go. Do it." And right then, fear steps in, ties your laces together, and says, "Oh, but you better not."

Just this past week, I had two old friends of mine reach out to me. It seems like I haven't heard from them in ages. And wouldn't you know it? Both had stepped into exciting seasons of their lives. They were big ones. Bold ones. And they were doing the very things they'd once talked about doing over coffee, not too very long ago, but back when it was still just talk.

And I tell you what, hearing from them stirred something profound in this intrepid old heart. of mine. It reminded me how food, water, and shelter will keep you from dying, but they help you really live. Living comes from stepping into the thing that makes your soul hum like a Harley on Highway 1 out there in Southern California! It's the very thing that I believe God tucked into you before you were even born!

So when I tell you to step out of your comfort zone, to believe in yourself more fiercely than anyone else does in this whole blessed world, please understand, these aren't just nice words I typed out onto a page. I mean it. I mean every word, because I've seen what happens when people finally trust that the wings God sewed onto their back aren't just for decoration. Your proverbial wings were put there so you can fly!

Maybe today you're standing somewhere near that fear-filled edge yourself, wondering if you take a step out you'll crash. Sometimes you will. That hurts. But eventually, I think you will soar. Because if God gave you the wings, the dreams, and the desires, He will be the wind beneath your wings. And He knows how to keep you aloft.

Ultimately, we all know, time keeps on ticking along. All the while keeping in mind that we only get so much time to keep breathing in this wacky world.

But your story isn't over yet.

So take a deep breath. Take a brave step forward.

And don't let something crummy, like Fear, have the last word.

Well, that's today's dispatch, from the dusty corners and the quiet places. Keep the faith, friends, and pass it on.