What Am I Afraid Of?

When my fiancé and I were preparing to move from St. Louis to Austin this past month, we were contacted by U-Haul to see if we would like to be paid to tow a trailer filled with storage pods, which we would need to drop off in Plano, TX, on our way to Austin. 

Filled with bravado, I told her that I could handle that without a problem, which I actually believed when I said it.  

Then, after the truck was packed and the trailer was hitched, we drove off — she driving her car and me driving the truck and trailer.  

The truth was, I was pretty scared and didn't want to admit it.  But for a long while on the journey, things went very well until we were about an hour outside of Dallas, when the heavens opened, and a near-biblical rain began to pour down.  

I had almost zero visibility and kept hitting standing water in the road, which made the trailer slide just enough to be terrifying.  

In the midst of all of this, I began praying that somehow I would get through the entire ordeal, and I also repeated a quote that my fiancé had said earlier that day over and over again: "I can do hard things... I can do hard things...." 

The fact that I am writing this now is evidence that I made it through the fear from that day.  The sun did come out a few hours down the road, and we dropped the trailer off without a hitch. (Pun entirely intended)

Author Jack Canfield once wrote: “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” I  rather like that idea.  

You see, fear is one of the most powerful forces in human life.  It has the potential to make or break us, depending on how we face it.  

It influences decisions, shapes relationships, limits possibilities, and often determines the paths we choose—or avoid. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of change. Fear of loss. Fear of uncertainty. Fear has countless faces, but its effect is often the same: it persuades us to stay small.

That is why Scripture repeatedly includes the command, “Do not be afraid.”

Not because fear itself is sinful, but because fear can become a barrier to the life God invites us to live.

When Jesus walks on the water toward the disciples during a storm, their first response is terror (Matthew 14:22-33). Yet Jesus speaks words that echo throughout Scripture: “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

The absence of fear is not courage.

Courage is moving forward despite fear.

The question “What am I afraid of?” matters because it reveals the places where we need God's help most. It invites honesty. Fear loses some of its power when it is named. What remains hidden often controls us. What is brought into the light can begin to heal.

The prophet Isaiah records God saying, “Do not fear, for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10). Notice that God does not promise a fear-free life. Instead, God promises presence.

Perhaps faith is not about eliminating fear altogether. Perhaps it is about learning to trust that God walks beside us through it.

Questions that make us human often lead us toward vulnerability. They uncover the places where our hearts ache and where our hopes feel fragile.

Yet those same questions can also lead us toward freedom.

Because sometimes the most life-changing thing we can do is face our fears honestly and discover that God is already there waiting for us.

Prayer

Faithful God, help me face my fears with honesty and courage. Remind me that your presence is greater than my anxieties and stronger than the uncertainties I carry. Give me the strength to trust you one step at a time. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. What fear currently has the strongest influence on your life?
2. How has fear limited you or held you back?
3. What might trusting God's presence look like in the midst of that fear?