Becoming Undaunted: Standing in the Face of Fear

I wonder sometimes where I would be in life if not for fear. How many opportunities have I lost because I didn’t have the courage to take them? What more might I have learned? How much stronger could I have become?

When I was in high school, I spent a couple of years on a robotics team. It was well outside of my normal range of interests, but my dad encouraged me to try it, and I’m usually up for trying something new. I consider that experience to have been a valuable part of my life, and I learned important things about myself, other people, and the processes of designing a machine. Still, I know that I would have learned so much more and enjoyed my time there better if I hadn’t been stopped by fear.

              The team had several machines for cutting and shaping metal and other materials into the parts needed to design a robot. All of these machines were big, loud, and definitely capable of taking off a finger. I didn’t like the noise, and I did very much like my fingers, so I kept my distance from the machines and instead spent entirely too much time over the next two years watching the students who knew how to use them stay busy doing most of the projects.

              It wasn’t until the last few months before I graduated that I finally started learning how to use the machines. I fashioned a few parts and found quickly that it was much more enjoyable to be there when I was making something. I realized that it would have totally transformed my experience if I had overcome the fear from the beginning and learned the skills to become a more valuable member of the team. I had the intelligence and the ability. I lacked only courage.

              After that experience, I made a commitment to myself that I would take advantage of opportunities to learn new skills, and I eventually came to view fear as a guidepost rather than an obstacle. This attitude has served me well in life, and I find that I’m a stronger person because of it.

              I later found myself working in a new job where I was handling reptiles and was often forty feet in the air with only a rope between me and the ground. I overcame massive trepidation to do both with complete ease, and I became adept at talking guests through their fear as well. Not only did I manage to do the job, I learned to love it.

              Over the years, I have been convinced that overcoming fear is vitally important in life. To live is to be called to do difficult things, and those who are successful are those who learn to meet them with courage. Fear is antithetical to growth; it is not the way of the righteous, and it does not bring about justice. Often in the Bible, God speaks to his servants and tells them, “Do not be afraid.” He repeatedly tells Joshua to be strong and courageous as he is commissioned to lead Israel after the death of Moses. Mary is told not to be afraid as she is given the weighty task of bearing the light of the world. Over and over again, it is evident in the Scripture that there is no place for fear in the heart of one who serves the Lord.

              This being said, it is one thing to talk about courage, and another thing entirely to build it. While some people may be by nature more or less fearful than others, I believe the ability to function in the face of fear is a skill that can be practiced like any other.

              When I was working on the ropes course, I learned many strategies for overcoming the fear inspired by looking down at a ground that was entirely too far away. I have found that these same strategies apply well across the board, and I use them in my own life on a regular basis.

              The first tool in overcoming fear is knowledge. In the ropes course application, that meant knowing how the elements worked, why we as facilitators did what we did, what the actual risks of the activities were, and the strategies for mitigating those risks. Standing for the first time on a platform forty feet in the air inspires a healthy dose of fear in most people. The first time I did it, my whole body was shaking, and I was inclined to just hug the pole with all my strength. However, knowing that the structure was stable, that my gear was sound, and that no one had ever fallen from the platform helped immensely. Later, when I was encouraging scared kids to try it for the first time, I told them how the cables were strong enough to stop a plane, and how the zipline was statistically safer than riding in a car. I also made sure to point out that they were less likely to get hurt riding the line than if they decided to go bumping back down the pole they came up.

This is also an important element of overcoming fear: learning to fear the right things. Not all fear is bad fear. Fear, as most of us know, is designed to keep us safe. Unfortunately, we often fear the wrong things and instead hold ourselves back from important achievements. Just as I pushed the kids on the zip tower to recognize the danger of backing down, we all must look for the danger in failing to face our challenges. One of my favorite speakers, Dr. Jordan Peterson, says that conflict delayed is conflict magnified. That which scares you now will often grow into a much worse monster if it is ignored.

I have also noticed a common trend on social media that nods to this reality. There are many posts circulating that point out the future difficulty that comes when you avoid the hard things now. They say things like, “Exercise is hard. Being weak is hard. Choose your hard.” I know that learning how to use those machines in robotics would have been challenging, but the regret of that wasted opportunity has been so much harder.

The final strategy that I use to overcome fear is simple exposure and repetition. The first time I climbed the zip tower, I was nearly petrified. The last time I did it, I had no more fear than I do walking on a sidewalk. The more times you do something scary and survive it, the less scary it looks the next time.

Now, trust me, I know this is easier said than done. There are still fears I haven’t overcome, but I now know that every step (however small) into fear is a step towards growth. I also know that I have never regretted choosing to do something that scared me. Intentionally going through difficult challenges creates a strength and resilience that is well worth having.

Now, so far this discussion has been mostly practical, but I also think that the way we view and handle fear has momentous spiritual ramifications, and I think that practicing with the everyday earthly fears can strengthen us for deeper things.

In my own life as a follower of Christ, I have been called to live in radical opposition to the world. For Christians across cultures and millennia, this calling has meant a risk of everything from being mocked to being tortured and killed. Following Christ takes courage, and the strategies to build it are much the same.

Faith cannot endure the stress of the world without a deep-rooted understanding of the why. It is easier to walk and speak in righteousness when you know the benefits of doing so as well as the consequences of turning off the path. The reasons for your belief are the handles you use to hold onto it when the waves come crashing down. Practicing righteousness today will make practicing righteousness tomorrow more attainable. It is easier to be bold when you have already been so before.

Ultimately, what you fear most will always control you, and the fear of the world is only overcome by the fear of the Lord. This is why, I believe, it is the beginning of wisdom. I do not need to fear the contempt or the violence of men when I am confident that I am walking in the grace of God and shielded from his wrath.

Maybe you, like me, have found yourself frozen by fear. Maybe it has been something as mundane as a fear of spiders or as weighty as a fear of taking a stand on a controversial topic. Maybe you, like me, have found yourself too hesitant to speak the truth of the gospel out of a fear of rejection or failure. Or maybe you have been too afraid to accept the gospel message because you don’t want to face the need for change in your life.

Whatever you are afraid of, whatever is blocking you from moving forward in life, I challenge you to take a step towards it. Use fear as a beacon for your life, telling you which way to go. It doesn’t matter how small you start. Prioritize progress over perfection and remember that every inch counts. 

When my days on this earth come to an end, I don’t want to be contemplating all the things I never did because I lacked courage. I don’t want to wonder where I could have gone. I pray that you don’t either.

Stay undaunted,

Ciara J.