One night, my husband was playing with our four-year-old daughter, and while attempting to throw her into the air (like he had done many times in the past) I watched as her face grimaced in total fear. “No, Daddy!” she cried. “I’m afraid of heights!” Her fear filled me with utter sadness. Her father had never dropped her, never thrown her away from him, never grabbed her too tightly; where had she picked up this irrational fear? My daughter was unable to experience the sheer joy and delight she had in the past simply because something unrelated made her doubt her safety in the arms of her father.
As I watched my husband talk with her and work with her through her fear, I couldn’t help but think how many times fear has stolen joy in my own life. I pictured myself in the arms of Father God, crying out in terror, “No, God! Don’t throw me! I’m afraid!” Where do we get this fear? Are His arms not the most capable of catching us? Is He not the most aware of how high we can go without harm being done? I began to ask what decisions might be keeping me from experiencing the very real FREEDOM that Christ died for. Here are some things that came to mind. Maybe you can relate.
1. We put all our trust in someone else.
Perhaps fear entered my daughter’s mind when someone other than her daddy attempted to heave her far into the air. When we take our eyes of the Father and look to someone else to keep us up, we find ourselves flat on our back, wounded and blaming God. It’s not that we shouldn’t trust other people, but that we should trust them THROUGH God. Knowing that when they fall short, the Father, who loves us all (sinner or redeemed), will pick up the slack. We need to remind ourselves from time to time whose arms we are in. He is trustworthy ALWAYS!
Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Isaiah 43:1b-2
2. We’ve loaded ourselves with circumstances.
Imagine trying to jump on a trampoline with a hiking pack loaded with all the gear necessary for a backpacking trip across Europe. Each time we jump up in the air, our backpack would decide exactly how and where we land. Our circumstances weigh us down no matter how we might try to configure the weight of them. But God is ready and waiting to take the weight for us.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30
3. We have a death grip on our traditions.
My daughter didn’t want to be afraid, and after watching her two older brothers get thrown high into the air, she asked to try again. Each time my husband tried to throw my daughter in the air, she would attempt to grab onto his clothes, which of course kept her from flying high. Holding onto God’s cloak is not the same as putting all our trust in Him. While some of our traditions truly are from Him, if we hold too tightly to them, we will never go as far as Christ intended for us to go.
How can we sum this up? All those people who didn’t seem interested in what God was doing actually embraced what God was doing as He straightened out their lives. And Israel, who seemed so interested in reading and talking about what God was doing, missed it. How could they miss it? Because instead of trusting God, they took over. They were absorbed with what they themselves were doing. They were so absorbed in their “God projects” that they didn’t notice God right in front of them, like a huge rock in the middle of the road. Romans 9:20-33 MSG (selection)
4. We let the world dissuade us.
It is also altogether possible that my daughter was “taught” to fear heights by her older brothers. Sometimes well-meaning people put things on us that are not from God at all. The world has a completely different view of wisdom, and when we fully rely on God, we appear fools to the world. If we let worldly opinions and philosophies crowd our minds, we will never be able to let go and fly.
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” Therefore let no one boast in men. 1 Corinthians 3:18-21a
My daughter didn’t give up, and neither should we. She kept trying to find that trust again, and in the end, exclaimed with fists clenched tight and victory in her eyes, “Yes! I did it! I did it!” Is her fear completely gone? Not quite. But she’s learning to overcome it, and maybe we can to.
What is holding you back from the Father's freedom? What steps can you take to let go and fly?
How many times have you wished you could melt into the floorboards and disappear as the server approaches your table with that look of apprehension, horror really, because your child has just reenacted a familiar scene from THE EXORCIST in public, ranting, writhing, and spewing applesauce and french fries across the table and onto a nearby diner? Often playing the role of the “nearby diner” in more recent years I understand how frustrating the simple act of eating out with adolescent children, (and even teens!) can be. Well, to borrow a Biblical cliche, do not fear, and be of good courage. There is a solution! And it’s not that difficult…
