"By liberating yourself from fear, you open the door of your mind, allwing the room once occupied by fear to be filled with creativity and passion. And when creativity and passion come in and clean things out, you are able to care about more than yourself and your own fears. And that is a good thing."
I love this thought. I used to be extremely afraid of heights. Totally freaked out. One day I got to thinking "why am I afraid of heights...this is dumb!" So I forced myself to face my fears...at first just a little and then more and more. Now I have a healthy respect of heights (I don't attempt to do stupid things), and I'm able to really enjoy things that would have freaked me out before, like rock climbing. Or help others when they're scared of heights.
Who do you think is courageous? If you know them, ask them how they faced their fears and tell us about it.
You don't need to answer this question here, but what is something you are afraid of? What do you think are the steps you need to take to face that fear?
About Me
- joeldaniel
- i like to pick and choose when i use capital letters. i do middle school youth pastor sorts of things at First Friends, and am also their Instigator of Justice (the job title came with a sweet super hero cape, so i had to say yes). in my free time i give leadership to a small group ministry related to sexuality known as six19 and am an Associate Staff member with the CCO. i grew up in Canton, Ohio and live in a house there where i try to think about what it means to be a good neighbor. i hang out with students at Malone College (the college from whence i graduated), trying to help them think about living lives without compartments. I worked at Camp Gideon for 10 years. i miss the sunsets (among a myriad of other things). i enjoy discussing the emerging church, Quaker theology, HIV/AIDS issues, and the intersection of culture and Christ followers. i love the outdoors, get a kick out of leading worship, and half-heartedly pursue long-distance running.
28 comments:
I think that anyone who has conquered a fear is courageous. Even if it’s a little thing, if you were afraid of something and defeated it, you are courageous. Even if you don’t think so, you have become courageous. Like last summer, my cousins, sister, and I all went to Cedar Point. It was the four of us so everyone was forced on everything. There were a few coasters and thrill rides I wasn’t sure about. By the end of the day, I missed not being able to do a lot of them a second time. So like I said, having courage is being able of conquer a fear. Being courageous is defeating it. See ya’ll on Friday!
I like Alena's "definition" of courage. I asked some of the kids at my school that are in the school plays how they overcame there fear of being in front of so many people. One of them said that simply the encouragement from there friends was enough to help them. Another said that Her mom always said that if you were nervous you were ready to perform. I don't know if that is true, but it was enough to help get her past her fear of being in front of a lot of people.
fun chatting,
Mellinger
something that im afraid of is meeting new people. I wouldnt realy call that a fear, more of a sever shyness. its tuff for me to outgoing with a new group of people. I guess its because i dont want them to take something the wrong way. Thats why i liked to stay in my "pod" of friends. I think that im concoring that fear right now. I stated a new school a few weeks ago and ive been having a hard time talking to everyone. So manny new people, smells and different ways of doing things. I cant go back to my "pod" of friends now because they arent there anymore. So its like i stepped out of my safe zone and now im regretting it cuz i cant go back. Now im trying to introduce myself and not to wait for others to come and say hi to me, and im trying to talk to other people more. Its a tuff thing but it gets easier every day.. baby steps lol
*mad silz {witha a Z}
I think that we are all couragous because some people might be really scared to come on a trip for a week with some people that they don't even know to a place that they haven't been to not really knowing what they would have to do.
Katie B.
Someone who is courageous in my life is my dad. He never seems afraid. This tells me that he conquers his fears and always has faith in God. He is a great example to me.
When people have fears, I think they need to face them knowing that God is on their side. When I think about God being on my side I know I can do anything. This will help people defeat their fears, and grow stronger in Christ that way.
~Sydney B.:)
I like how the book said something about how many people think that courageous people aren't afraid of anything. But really, courageous people do have fears, they just are are brave enough to face them. I think my cousin and uncle are courageous. When it comes to thrills, they have no limits. When they ride the Dragster at Cedar Point, they get in the first row and put their shirts over their heads so they can't see anything (I think they're crazy). My uncle and cousin do have fears, but they love facing them.
I can't wait for Friday! I wonder what all we'll be doing...
I think that the one person I know that is courageous is my Mom. My Mom never shows that she is afraid of something and she is always there for me when I am scared. I think that my Mom has conquered her fear by just standing up to it and not letting fear control her life.
Dawn L. :)
P.S. Can't wait to see everyone tonight. ;)
i have a confession to make:
a few of you had me as a counselor at camp carl. if you've been to camp carl, you know there's a pretty high rock climbing tower there. well, over the summer (with i think a total of three exceptions) i made every one of my girls attempt the tower.
not everyone is afraid of heights, so for many of them it didn't matter that i forced them to try. many of them were afraid, but did it because i said they had to (and most were glad that i did). and a few fought me to the bitter end (and even most of these were glad i didn't give in). most of the girls made it higher than they ever thought they could, even if they didn't make it to the top.
now here's where my confession comes in:
i have never climbed the tower. i am terrified of heights (i'm kinda embarrassed admitting this to you guys... it shows that i, a camp carl counselor, was hypocritical over the summer, making my campers do something that i had never had the courage to try myself).
i made my girls try it because i knew that forcing them to have courage would help them to see that they are capable of more than they thought they were. i suppose the same would probably have been true of me.
maybe you will say that these girls who were afraid didn't have courage, because i "forced" them to try. i would disagree with that, because let's face it: how would i have forced them? if they sat down and refused, i couldn't make them do it. my girls were courageous, after a little push. they were more courageous than i was.
i'm telling this story as an illustration of how the last chapter, community, might tie into courage: we can push each other to have courage. community is a great source of courage.
(sorry this story was so long.)
I agree with Alena on how everyone who conquers a fear of theirs is courageous. I especially think the people in Iraq like civilians and our troops are courageous because the troops are fighting for our freedoms and civilians live in constant fear of knowing any moment a bomb could explode and they could be dead but they still continue to live through the rest of the day knowing it.
ok, i think my cousin and sister are both courageous...They face there fears and push themsleves to get over their fears..and they pray about their fears too..and they talk to others abou them for help...but yeah i do think everyone out there is courageous at something in there life...We all can push past some things and can't on others.. we have to put our full trust in God to help us and trust him to help us with them..
Stephanie C
I know when I am afraid of something it is not easy to do that thing. When I am faced with a fear I think of my trust in God. I know God will get me through this and everything will turn out fine. I find that comforting. Now i'm not saying that if you don't face your fears you have little trust in God I'm just saying it's nice to know that He is there and He will help us through our fears.
that last one was from Kayli W. :)
i would have to say that anyone who goes out of their comfort zone and does something new, or stands up for what they beleive in is corageous. Like missionaries who go to foreign countries and do preach the word of God even though the government in thoses countries don't allow it. Just think about how much courage they must have just to go there knowing that they could be put in jail or killed for starting a church group. There are many other examples of people being corageous, not just missionaries, and it doesn't have to be as big as that. It can be just as simple as standing up to a bully in school(that sounded really cheesy, but its true)!
someone that is going on this trip who also went to camp with me last year is very courageous. she was always the first one to volunteer to go first on like the rock wall and all the other "scary" things that none of us wanted to be the first ones to do.
so something that many of you will probably not believe is that i am one of the shyest people you will ever meet. no joke. well..i used to be and sometimes still am. its so true because i would hide behind my mom when i met someone new and i wouldnt talk to people unless i already knew them because i was shy and afraid. im not sure what changed that, but i think it was my faith in Christ and knowing that never being able to tell people the word of God was against his point of putting me on this earth. and over time i became one of the most outgoing people you will ever meet..maybe. so i definitely dont think being shy is bad, some people are shy and some are outgoing. thats the way Christ meant it to be. but i also know that you can overcome huuuggeee fears with God at your side. and that my dear friends, is AMAZING!
so, taylor, stick with it. i know what it feels like to move to a new place. just push yourself a little more each day or week and you dont have to become completely outgoing but it'll make you more comfortable, im sure of it. and im so proud of you for what you have already done! it takes guts!
by the way the overnighter thing we did was SO FUN! and i learned a ton! thanks =]
I Sydney's comment that her dad is courageous. I guess to me, my mom is courageous in the same way. Whenever she is worried about something or someone, she always pulls the family together and prays for it/them. She always says the verse from Matthew 18:30 (KJV)."Where two or three more are gathered in my name there I am in the midst of them." She always leans on God to help her.
I also love Alena's "definition" of courage. I agree, if you conquer a fear, no matter how large or small, you are courageous.
OOOPS! the last on was from Brittany M.
OOOOOPS!! the verse is from 18:20 not 18:30(KJV)
brittany m.
Craig...
I think your friend's thoughts were really good. Encouragement from those around us always helps out a lot. That's something I want us to think about a lot this summer as we travel and work together, always thinking about how we can encourage each other.
Taylor...
Sounds like you're really stepping out there & pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Keep going!
Bethany...
I think that what the book says about that is really true, too. Everyone's going to be afraid of things...it's how we choose to respond to those things that matters.
Courage is something thats usually just naturally hard. I really look up to some of my really close friends at school for their courage. They have a great self-image and really dont care what people think of them. Self-image has been one of my all time toughest struggles. Even though i may seem happy...alot of times loud and everything at church...at school i can be really different. Alot of times at school....i'm almost afraid to talk because i'm afraid i wont be accepted. My class is very cliquey and likes the really cool popular people. Alot of people in my class look down on me for what reason i dont know. And that really hurts alot. I mean, i'm not gonna change who i am just cuz people dont like me but i wanna be accepted. I dont wanna be thought of as this loser outcast. Who does? I still struggle with this...my self-image...but i've come to this conclusion and this goes for everyone. We're here on this little place called earth for one reason: to glorify our God. And if i'm praising God...giving him my all in everything i do...that should be good enough for me. He's the only one i should care about who cares about me. If i'm not giving him my all...not taking my life seriously...and i'm not pleasing God, then i know i gotta change. Think about it.
-mike murray
I think courage itself is hard to face. Just being able to say that you are terrified of something but you do it anyway to conquer that fear is one of the hardest things for me to do. Sometimes the littlest of fears can be the hardest to conquer. I know a lot of people who have courage like this, and I respect them for it.
If I can conquer even the tiniest of fears, than I know that I have the courage it takes to overcome anything.
Ben D.
i think that courage is when you choose to ackknowledfe your fear, and look it in the face.offten it is fear that prevents us from getting closer to God and others. also fear can prevent you from living your life and being what you are sappose to be.
dont let fear over take your life.
I think that anyone who has conquered a fear is courageous. Even if it’s a little thing, if you were afraid of something and defeated it, you are courageous. Even if you don’t think so, you have become courageous. Like last summer, my cousins, sister, and I all went to Cedar Point. It was the four of us so everyone was forced on everything. There were a few coasters and thrill rides I wasn’t sure about. By the end of the day, I missed not being able to do a lot of them a second time. So like I said, having courage is being able of conquer a fear. Being able to defeat all that you have and into your weakness like ocd. by by graham arnold
yea i agree with graham. theres alot of things that look so hard and scary but after we try it once or twice it isnt so hard and after a day or two this missions trip wont be that hard we just have to get into the jist of things.
jason
I think that anyone who steps out of their own comfort zone, doing something that they wouldn't have normally done or doing something that "threatens" their saftey to do something better. Big things like a firefighter saving someone in a burning building or little things such as standing up to a school bully still show courage.
I think that my dad is courageous. He always puts his trust in God and can overcome anything. When there is a problem that can be a little scary, he prays and stays strong which sets a good example for me when I'm afraid. I can turn to God and know that I'm not alone.
-nicole m.
courage is ignoring your fear
people that are couragous would include anyone who risks their life for someone else. this would include most of the people whose number is 911. not to mention this would also include Jesus.
i totally agree with katie on this one. everyone coming on this trip is overcoming something, whether it be fear of flying, going to a far away place from home (probably without a parent), or staying with people that they aren't completely familiar with.
autumn
I think everyone can be courageous. When we are afraid of something we just need to pray and trust that the Lord will help us through everything, and remember that whatever happens is what God has planned for us. -Kalie H.
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