Girl, Get Back Up

What do you fear?

I asked this question earlier this week in preparation for recording our Halloween episode of The Problem With Perfect (TPWP). (In case you don’t know, TPWP is my new podcast that I host with @Rachel Leigh, who has been the Creative Director for this ministry since I launched it nearly a year ago.)

This episode of the podcast confronts the reality that we all fears, including me. Don’t laugh, but one of the things that I fear on a pretty regular basis is falling down. As an avid runner, I started running in the dark of the mornings more than 15 years ago. Since then, I have fallen countless times, scarring my face, palms, elbows and knees. Sometimes the falls hurt, a lot! 

As I reflect on all the things I truly fear, I realize they all revolve around suffering. I fear pain - both physical and emotional. Every day I go out to run, I remember what it feels like to rip the flesh from my knees as they hit the pavement. I want to avoid it. Likewise, every day I remember the torture of hearing my son has cancer, my job has been eliminated, and there is nothing more we can do for your mother. 

To help keep me from falling in the dark, I wear a headlight that shows me the way. For the most part, it is very helpful. It allows me to avoid the newly-dropped walnut on the trail or the crack in the sidewalk. But it isn’t failproof. Sometimes I still fall. 

Running the spiritual race God has before me isn’t much different. The promises of His Word, the evidence of his steadfast love and the companionship of the Holy Spirit guide my path. But they don’t keep me from experiencing pain. The world is full of ankle-twisting hazards and just because I have God’s spiritual light guiding me doesn’t mean I won’t ever fall down or suffer an injury.

The good news - that keeps me getting out of bed each day - is that wounds heal. Whether it is a scabbed knee or a broken heart, God tells us our groaning is limited and that redemption is coming. “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

Is fear holding you back from living life to the full? I hope we can let this promise shine brighter than the fear of darkness, knowing that God has already trumped whatever pain might come our way.