When did you do it trembling and afraid?

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face,” said Eleanor Roosevelt. “... You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”

For years, Eleanor’s words have bolstered me. They changed my life because I acted on them. When faced with doing a few somethings that scared me, I carried them out even while I was still frightened.

Emmet Fox says it this way: “Do it trembling if you must, but do it.”

What about you? Think back: When did you stare down fear and do that thing you thought you could not do?

And then, climb up to the next step. What can your kids, grandkids, and other readers learn from you about taking a wild-eyed, white-knuckled leap of faith?

Dread can hinder potential and keep people from living a full life. What stories can you write about staring down cowardice, worry, and anxiety?

What stories can you write about refusing to let fear cripple you? Paralyze you?

Read the quotes below, s l o w l y. What stories do they revive? Take as much time as you need to rediscover them. They might be experiences you forgot years ago.

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” (Nelson Mandela)

“The jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be… because of all I may become I will close my eyes and leap!” Mary Anne Radmacher, Live with Intention

“True faith, by a mighty effort of the will, fixes its gaze on our Divine Helper, and there finds it possible and wise to lose its fears. It is madness to say, ‘I will not be afraid’; it is wisdom and peace to say, ‘I will trust and not be afraid.’” Alexander Maclaren (1826-1910)

“Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” Karl Barth  

“…Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, NIV).

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will go with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

What courageous act have you carried out? Maybe only you know that story. Or perhaps others watched. What did you experience while overcoming your fright? Did it help you choose bravery in the future? Did it help you mature? Did it open up new opportunities, jobs, or relationships for you?

On the other hand, maybe you recall a time when you let fear get the better of you, a time when you chose not to take a leap of faith. How did that impact your future?

What Bible verses pertain to your story?

How did God help you deal with your anxiety? As a result, how did your relationship with Him change?

Turn your experiences into life lessons 

for kids, grandkids, future generations, 

and all your readers.

Be intentional about writing your stories.

Think about those who will read your memoir—

your offspring, nieces and nephews, 

great-grandkids, friends, colleagues, and even strangers.  

They all will face times that scare them. 

Their courage and faith will wobble. 

And your story could serve as a lifeline 

and make all the difference in the outcome.

Your story could make all the difference

What have you been afraid of in the past? What are you afraid of now?

Consider writing a vignette for your memoir about how you cope with fear. How can you inspire your readers to be courageous?

Here are words to get your thoughts going:

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence

by every experience

in which you really stop

to look fear in the face.

You must do the thing

which you think you cannot do.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—

not absence of fear.”

Mark Twain

“We are all brave men and we are all afraid,

and what the world calls a brave man,

he too is brave and afraid

like all the rest of us.

Only he is brave for five minutes longer.”

Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist

“I will never leave you or forsake you.

Be strong and courageous...”

God (Joshua 1:5-6)

“Be strong and very courageous.”

God (Joshua 1:7)

“Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged,

for the Lord your God will be with you

wherever you go.”

God (Joshua 1:9)

“Only be strong and courageous.”

God (Joshua 1:18)

I suspect that most, if not all, people have a problem with fear, and in light of that, I marvel at what a kind, comforting God we have: He has given us hundreds of Bible verses to help us deal with fear.

Many years ago, I heard that there are 366 Bible verses telling us, in one way or another, "Fear not." That means God has given us one verse for every day, even in leap year!

He longs for us to replace fear with courage, faith-based courage.

Maybe there was a time when you had courage to do nothing more than pray. And that’s okay!  (See 1 Chronicles 17:25 in which King David found courage to pray.) I suspect prayer is the very place each of us should start!

Your story about wrestling with fear—

and triumphing over it (maybe only sometimes)—

is important.

Someone needs to know your story,

someone facing fear,

someone who will deal with fear in the future,

someone who can’t quite take a leap

and do the courageous thing.

Your story can quiet fears.

Your story can help others live with faith and courage.

Your story could make all the difference

in a person’s life.

Your story could lead someone

to take a fresh look

at God,

at life,

at faith.

Your story could change the way

a person lives.

Your story could fortify a timid heart.

Write your story!

Writing about your fear's pros and cons

We all deal with fear, but sometimes fear races out of control.

Fear can take over.

Fear can cripple.

Fear can paralyze.

Cowardice, dread, trepidation, apprehension, worry, anxiety—they can hinder our potential and rob us of living a full life.

What-ifs can incapacitate us.  

We don’t like to admit we’re afraid. We feel ashamed of being anxious. We think that if we were better people, better Christians, we wouldn’t have fears.

But fear is a curious thing.  Sometimes fear is a friend, a guide.

Fear can alert us to potential danger. It gives us pause.

Fear can give us time—

time to take a careful look at what’s before us,

time to exercise discernment and discretion.

Fear can give us time to weigh our options

 and understand what we’re getting ourselves into

and make choices with wisdom and maturity.

Fear keeps us from recklessness

and from flinging ourselves into foolishness,

left to thrash around,

leaving us with regrets later.

Being paralyzed by fear can offer the gift of time—time to count the cost. To prioritize life’s goals and heart’s desires. To commit to being steadfast. (adapted from Oh God Don’t Make Me Go Don’t Make Me Go: Winded and Scruffy and Brimming with Tales, copyright 2015 by Linda K. Thomas)

You have wrestled with pros and cons of fear

and dread and worry.

The question is:

How can you turn those experiences

 into valuable lessons for your kids

and grandkids—

and who knows how many future generations?

Be intentional. Make time to remember incidents in your past. Choose to write at least one story for your memoir that will challenge your readers as they face their own fears.

Giants? or The Promised Land?

What “giants” have you faced? Did you let them win, or did you decide to be an overcomer?

In writing my second memoir, I’ve discovered that I let giants intimidate me. My first inclination is to run the opposite direction. How about you? Know what I mean?

Remember the story of Caleb and Joshua?

God told Moses to send 12 men into Canaan, the Promised Land, to check it out. When Caleb, Joshua, and their companions returned, they gave it a mixed report: It was a magnificent country, flowing with milk and honey, but defeating the people would be daunting. Their cities were big and fortified, and the people were very powerful—some were even giants. Conquering the land God had promised them would be an enormous, risky undertaking.

But Caleb said, “Let’s go! We can do it!” He recognized the land was God’s gift to them and that He would help them take the land. He was willing to step out in faith and in God’s strength.

But the other men cowered. “We can’t win. They’re stronger than we are. We felt like grasshoppers next to those giants!”

Their fears were contagious—they infected all the Israelites with their pessimism. They feared they could be killed or carried off as slaves. They wept and wailed and complained. Their solution: “Let’s get out of here!”

Their fears rendered them faithless and helpless because they focused on the giants—problems, challenges, and dangers. They focused on how small and weak they were compared to the giants.  Failure was certain. That attitude resulted in double trouble: not only did the Israelites expect defeat: those giants then believed the Israelites were as weak as they thought they were.

Caleb and Joshua said to the doubters, “If God is pleased with us, He will keep us safe and give us the land. Don’t rebel against Him, and don’t be afraid of those giants! With God on our side, we can conquer them.” (See Numbers 13:1-14:9.)

Caleb and Joshua focused on God. In faith, they looked beyond the giants and beyond the Israelites’ weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Their courage was not based on the Israelites strength, but on God’s strength and His promises.

God can do extraordinary things with ordinary human beings who trust Him.

What giants have you faced in the past?

Giants can take many forms: a besetting sin, fear, lying, selfishness, family disputes, financial problems, abuse, conflicts within church congregations, rebellious children, false accusations, a serious illness, or dangerous situations.

Did you set your eyes on the giants, or on God? Did you retreat in defeat, or did you step forward and take possession of your Promised Land?

Write about a time when you focused on the giants, and then write about a time when you focused on God and His help in establishing you in your Promised Land.

While you write, keep in mind the definition of a memoir: Reflect on what God was doing back then, and how you have changed as a result.

What “milk and honey” did you receive as a result of your trust in God? What “milk and honey” would you have missed if you had turned back out of fear and faithlessness?