Mind Over Matter, Trust Over Fear

Good morning, afternoon, or night... wherever you are in the world! For today's post, I am going to be talking about my theme struggle. Basically, most of my devotions and poems are around this topic, because I am constantly struggling with it. It is my hope that you are able to apply this post to whatever you may be going through right now.

Last Wednesday I posted a poem (to read it, click HERE) talking about trusting and obeying in God's leading even when you feel inadequate for the job. To me, that poem was just a plea asking God to help me trust Him more with the unknowns in my life. Because I am still learning how to surrender my plans, my worries, my fears, etc. over to God. In this post, I am very real and sort of blunt. With that being said, this post is also very close to my heart and the main reason I am sharing it today is because I feel that this is a message that someone needs to hear.

~*~ 

Last year, we went on a vacation to Florida. On that vacation, my Dad spontaneously suggested that my family go parasailing (I mean, we are on a trip, so that means we must do something EPIC!) #havingadadwholikesadventure 

My first reaction was thinking these things: 
“Um, no thanks!”
“Count me out.” 
“Not really my thing.” 
“I’m not that adventurous.” 
“Turtles and dolphins, sure. But FISH! SHARKS! JELLYFISH!???”
“No, no, and NO! 

Yeah, so parasailing was way outside of my comfort zone. It was unknown to me because I had never ever done anything like it before. To be honest, I’d rather not get eaten by a hungry shark! So, to play it safe, I was planning on not going and just watching my little sister and dad do it. 

But my “play it safe” plan soon changed as I got to thinking. I started wondering if it could end up being fun, and by playing it safe, would I miss out on a super fun activity? Would I look back on that vacation and wish I had stepped out of my comfort zone and just went parasailing? After all, you are attached to the boat! What could go wrong? (Of course, multiple things to do with sharks and jellyfish popped into my head, but sometimes you have to stop yourself when you start to make up detailed stories of what could go wrong. Because that is what they are—made up…) 

Eventually, I decided to give it a try. We ended up finding a place that did parasailing, and reserved a spot for the next day. That night, I was getting really nervous and almost backed out, but me and my older sister were going to do it together (Who knew you could go two at a time!), so that made me feel a little better. 

The next morning, we arrived at the place, and I was crossing my fingers that it would go smoothly. But then, I saw a video of some other people parasailing. And in that video, they were really close to the water, like, um, their feet were in the water! Now I was really nervous, I did NOT want to get dragged in the water! 

Thankfully, for the rest of the “adventure,” I was able to let go of my worry and really enjoy myself. Mind you, I was praying very earnestly!

The boat ride was fast and bumpy, which was really fun, and we saw mama and baby DOLPHINS! The actual parasailing was a blast! Once you were up in the air, it was amazing to see so much from that far up! We saw all sorts of jellyfish and even sharks up there… (my dad and little sister even saw a sea turtle!) It was both scary and so much fun! We did get put down in the water for a second before the ride was over, but it was a short time (only long enough for me to get a mouthful of salt water from screaming/squealing!)

After it was over, I was SO glad I had gone! We even bought the picture packet, so we have proof that we went parasailing and survived!  

Have you ever let fear control a decision? Have you ever just “played it safe” and stayed in you comfort zone? That zone where you don’t have to rely on your Trust in God? 

^^ I know I have definitely answered affirmatively to each of those questions before. It’s hard to not fear the unknown. That is so human nature, isn’t it though? 

I think so many times we stay in that place where we are comfortable. We don’t want to step out because there are too many “what if’s.” If we are uncertain of the outcome, we most likely won’t push ourselves out of that constricting comfort zone. And one of the reasons why we do this, is because we put our trust in ourselves all too often when we should be putting our trust in the capable hands of God. 

When we trust only ourselves, our comfort zone is controlled by how we feel. We know what we are capable of doing from past experiences, and when there is something new (like going parasailing) we worry and doubt in our ability, letting our comfort zones hold us back. We are the ones who have created our comfort zones. 

When we trust God, there is no such thing as a comfort zone. If we truly are surrendering our worry over to God, and letting Him control the outcome of a certain situation, then there is no comfort zone to hold us back. We only trust and obey. 

As hard as it is, I think it is so important to NOT let our fear and comfort zones control us. Because if we let this happen, we would never grow. It’s like exercising: no pain, no gain. If you never work your muscles, you will not get stronger. Sure, you will be sore in the "growing" process, sometimes it’s down right painful. But in the end, you are stronger because of it. 

Likewise, if we never exercise stepping out of are comfort zones, those boundaries we set for ourselves will never get bigger, only smaller. Yes, it will be scary. It might be terrifying. You might take a chance, and it won’t work out right. It’s not guaranteed to work out perfectly. But by stepping out of your comfort zone, you will learn and you will grow because of it! 

Don’t be confined to the boxes, labels, and comfort zones you put yourself in. Comfort zones might feel safe, but trust me, they aren’t. If anything they are dangerous. Because by having a comfort zone that somehow “justifies” not doing something that God has put in His will for you, you are saying that you trust yourself over God. 

God has a perfect plan for you. He promises to be with you through it all, but our comfort zones act as barriers that the Enemy has placed in our way to slow down God’s plan. 

So if I know this truth, why do I still let my comfort zone control me with fear? I don’t know. But what I do know it that I want to get better at saying “no” to my comfort zone and saying “yes” to my trust in God alone. WE are all a work-in-progress. And I will be the first to admit that I let my fear and comfort zone (that I, myself, have created) to make my decisions for me. Not all the time, like when I went parasailing, but a whole lot of other times I have decided to opt out of something because I was scared. 

I can tell myself all that I want, but the truth is the truth. 

I can say: I am a introvert, I’m too quiet, or that I’m so awkward. These are “boxes” that I use as excuses (and most of the time I use them negatively.) The thing is, maybe I am some of these, but these adjectives are not my identity. My identity is found through Jesus Christ. 

The real truth is: I am chosen, I am fearfully and wonderfully made, I am His. This is who I am. 

I’m not saying that we should never use the words that put us in labeled boxes to describe our personalities, I’m saying we should not use these words to define who we are as children of God. We are all so unique and original. 

So I am encouraging each of you (and me) to trust God with your future and decision making. Listen to His voice, not your own voice that lets the comfort zone rule you. Pray about it, and then if you are persuaded that it is what God is prompting you to do, take that step of faith. 

Trust that He will be with you every step of the way.  
Trust that He will be your Guide.  
Trust that He will be with you if you fall. 
Trust that He will be with you to pick you up when you do.

Because if we trust in ourselves and rely on our own fears, we will never know God’s outstanding plan-- the plan that blows our comfort zones clear out of the water! His plan is so much greater and so much better than we could ever begin to understand! 

Here are a couple pictures of our parasailing adventure!

Psalm 18:30-32

"As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."

Do you struggle with letting your fear stop you from taking that step of faith? (You're not alone!) What do you do when you want to trust God but can't let go? How have you stepped out of your comfort zone this week? How can I pray for you? Even if it is a silent request, let me know and I will definitely be praying! 

Lets talk in the comments below! <3