I have noticed the billboard on several occasions during my travels over the past few months between my home and Harrisburg, seventy five miles to the south of us.

The billboards are part of an advertising campaign for a regional health insurance company.

As one who makes a habit of paying attention to words and what they might be saying to me, the message has been nearly impossible to ignore – LIVE FEARLESS!

It is short and to the point.

The song it is singing resonates with me.

I need to apply what is being commanded.

I once again allowed the rain of the words shown on the billboard to seep into my soil earlier this week while commuting to and from a recent job interview.

It is no secret that life’s punches are thrown at us on a constant and unyielding basis.

At times, it appears that “it” does not let up.

Or so we think.

A right jab catches us in the ribs.

A left hook sneaks by and connects with the jaw.

A kidney punch lands when we least expect it to keep us honest.

In a recent post Lance Wallnau mentions “everything you want in life is on the other side of fear.”

He recommends we push past fear to achieve the results we might want.

We may get a report back from the doctor indicating a lump or cells that look “suspicious”, warranting further testing.

We may examine our bank account(s) with the nose of the plane pointed downward. We try to pull the plane out of a descent. At times it may work. At other times it does not.

What typically is our initial thought or response when life’s punches are thrown at us?

We begin to conjure up the worst case scenario without considering another perspective or better yet, throwing a few punches of our own.

Fear begins to slip in through the cracks, it sneaks in through the back door, or it smacks us right between the eyes.

Once it has its hold on us it is hard to escape.

It takes intentional action to counteract its grip.

If you have done any reading whatsoever, you may have come across an acronym which describes a more realistic description of the word – FEAR.

False – Evidence – Appearing – Real

How do we overcome fear?

• We can acknowledge a given situation for what it is without making it to be what it isn’t.
• We can zero in on what we can do versus what we can’t do about the situation.
• We can call out fear for what it is, False Evidence Appearing Real, and begin to rely on what we know to be true (which by the way can set us free!).
• We need to harness our emotions.

I can recall a conversation with our middle daughter, Bethany, which took place nearly five years ago like it was yesterday.

Bethany and her husband, Michael, were vacationing in Hawaii.

I was traveling home from work.

My phone rings. It is Bethany calling me from the islands.

Bethany: “Hi Dad, how was your day?”

Me: “It was OK. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Bethany: “Well, I wanted let you know I will be jumping out of a plane at 10,000 feet about an hour from now” (not your everyday, commute home type of conversation!).

Me: “Wow. Cool. Awesome!”

Bethany: “I will call Mom after we have jumped. Do not tell her anything until I call.”

Me: OK, have fun! I will say a prayer!

The latter call can be summarized with her Mom saying something like this – “You did what!”

Bethany is pictured above on her actual jump.  By the looks of it, she seemed to have fun!

I am quite sure when the moment of truth arrived and it was time to jump, the butterflies were stirring.

Her heart most likely raced a bit.

She had questions in her mind.

She trusted her skilled jumper, slipped close the edge of the open airplane door, took the first step, and had the experience of a lifetime!

She overcame FEAR in a big way.

Am I suggesting that you make an appointment to go skydiving?

Not at all!

However, whatever fears you may be wrestling with may appear bigger than they actually might be.

You might be viewing them in the amusement park mirror and they may appear distorted and out of perspective.

As the video shown below plays consider the words spoken.

When was the last time you felt – Free?

• Free of worry.
• Free of fear.
• Free of uncertainty.

It’s time to uncover that feeling…again (at a deeper, spiritual level):

• You are protected with the compassion of the Cross that’s been trusted for….
• You have the security of the Name…
• You have the power of a Card which opens doors….everywhere.

Giving you the freedom:

• To love.
• To dream.
• To dare.
• To believe.
• To laugh.
• To dance like no one else is watching!

We are told, “There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear.”

I’ve had a moment or two this week where fear made its way into some corners of my room.

It had me momentarily paralyzed.

I decided to not give fear the time of day and allow God’s love for me to drive it out.

I chose to dwell on what I know to be true instead of what I thought was true.

It worked.

It can work for you too.

Isn’t it time we allow the chains of fear to drop at our feet?

Isn’t it time to – Live Fearless?

What ways have you used to overcome fear?

Photo Courtesy of Bethany Eby / Graphic Enhancement Courtesy of Brittany Castillejo