Flying Through Fear

There should be a distinct difference between the way the world handles fear and the way followers of Jesus handle fear. Christians should pray and not panic. Fear is not our master. We can ask Him to take our heavy burdens from us and give us His peace. As Jesus Himself says in Matthew 11:30, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

As a Christian, I certainly have a lot of phobias. These include (but are not limited to) the fear of bees, fear of medical procedures, fear of flying, fear of elevators, and fear of storms with strong winds. While I have gotten better at overcoming these fears, I still struggle at times. Deep down, I trust that God will help me through, as He always does. So, I just do it afraid.

When I flew to Illinois to marry Craig, I boarded the plane afraid. When I was recently in the middle of an angry thunderstorm, I prayed and calmly waited for it to pass, but still, I was afraid. When I decided to move to NC, I was fearful, thinking about all the changes this would bring. In each of these situations, I knew God was with me, so I did them all afraid.

Then there was my first cancer diagnosis in 2021. I was fearful of surgery and worried about the outcome, but I prayed and trusted God. My second cancer diagnosis in 2022 was more serious, and once again fear crept in. Prayer during these times brought me closer to God, and I asked Him to remove all of my fears. God helped me through, but I was still afraid at times. Today, I had a common medical procedure done … a breast biopsy. I was rather nervous about the needles and the horror stories I read beforehand certainly did not help. Faith told me it would all be ok, so I moved forward with it and did it afraid.

As I was on my way to the hospital for the biopsy, something hit me. When Jesus was on Earth, He knew what He was going to face. I’m sure when He asked His father to take the cup from Him, He was hoping that He wouldn’t have to go through with it. This included the public flogging Jesus first had to endure to hasten His death. The whip, made of leather throngs of various lengths, was interwoven with sharp, jagged pieces of bone and lead. With every lash, these bits of bone and lead ripped Jesus’ back to shreds. Once reaching the crucifixion site, Jesus had to endure even more agonizing pain as long metal nails were driven into His wrists. Then, after hours of suffocation, He gave up His spirit. He did ALL of this for you and me … and I’m afraid of a little bee?

I got to the hospital for my biopsy and thought … really now, what am I afraid of? Here I was in a sanitized medical facility with professionals who made me comfortable and coached me through. Even during chemotherapy treatments, I was in a relaxing chair as they waited on me hand and foot. I certainly didn’t like having a breast biopsy today, and I certainly did not enjoy having poisonous chemotherapy drugs pumped through my veins, but God was there with me. I did not need to fear! But even when I was afraid, I kept moving forward because I had faith that He’d bring me through again.

I know that most people think that Christians should never be fearful, but I disagree. There's a big difference between the feeling of fear and the spirit of fear. Fear is a common and natural feeling. Courage is derived from being able to overcome those feelings. Courageous people feel fear, but they are able to manage and overcome their fear so that it does not stop them from moving through it. Whenever we are afraid, we can trust in God and follow through with His will for us. Not only does this help build our faith, but it’s a testimony of what God can do!

Now I do realize that some of my fears (fear of bees!) are a little bit ridiculous. Compared to all that Jesus did for us, a lot of our fears truly are just that. It’s so wonderful to know that He has compassion for us and knows when we are anxious. He wants us to not worry and look to Him, but He knows we are still fearful at times. Every time I do something afraid, I know God will help me as He has a thousand times before. This results in my faith becoming larger while my fear diminishes. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

What fears do you have that are holding you back? A fear of flying? Fear of switching jobs? Fear of socializing? Fear of following that God-given dream? Don’t wait until the fear completely leaves you! Ask God to help you and, if you have to, do it afraid. Each time you push through, even with faith as small as a mustard seed, you kick fear to the curb!

Join me today and let’s decide to no longer let fear take the driver’s seat. Fear will steer us away from pain and keep us in cycles of shame. Fear will hold us back and keep us stagnant. The perfect love of Christ drives out fear. Take a moment to pray and ask the Lord to lead you in calm, slow, steady steps. We have NO reason to fear, but sometimes we still do. We can take our fears before the Lord, lay out our anxieties before Him, name the thing that frightens us (whether it’s a disease, the loss of a loved one, economic loss, political turmoil, or something silly like bees) and ask the Lord to turn those fears into the peace that only He can give. I’ve been afraid to fly all of my life … so guess what I just did today! I booked a flight to NY! Thankfully, God can fly with me for FREE!

Ms. Lady Lake