Chase that white rabbit.

When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with the movie, Alice in Wonderland. 

My granny would take us every weekend to the local video store in Columbia, and we would get to pick a movie to rent. 

I always picked Alice in Wonderland. 
*fun fact…I picked it so many times, the owner actually gave it to me!
Something about that curious blonde girl just resonated with me.  Every single scene in that movie captivated me, and I couldn’t get enough.  Alice was just so BRAVE, and as a young girl, I was anything but brave. 

You know the story, she followed a white rabbit down a hole into a whole other world…she had tea with the Mad Hatter, sang songs with flowers in the garden, met crazy characters and had a scary encounter with the Queen of Hearts.  And she never really second guessed anything she did - she stood her ground, spoke loudly AND proudly and never apologized for how she was. 

Oh my word, she was so brave. 
And I wanted to be her.

Can I tell you a secret? I still want to be her.

Webster’s defines B R A V E as “having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear or difficulty: having or showing courage.”

So, what’s the opposite of courage?
We all know it…F E A R.

For a large part of my life, I have let fear dictate my path. 
Will this hurt?
What will happen if _______?
How will I bounce back if it all goes wrong?
Will someone else get hurt?
Will it take too long or require too much of me?

Like I said, FEAR is the dictator.  Fear is in the driver’s seat.  Fear is calling the shots.

And I’ve passed up some opportunities or kept going one direction (when I should be going another way) or haven’t spoken up because I was simply too scared of what might happen.

Alice saw a white rabbit.  She was intrigued. She followed him. 
And adventure followed her.
She didn’t sit there and think: “hmmmmm….the probability of me getting stuck in some sort of situation and not being able to get out is quite high.  I think I’ll sit here and wait for that rabbit to come back.”

Nope, she went all in.

Gosh, I love her.

I see the same thing in my girls…like when Birdie fearlessly jumps into a deep pool of water with a HUGE smile on her face.   Or when Annie Lou enters the race at the skating rink — she’s only been skating without a trainer for a few weeks, and she is already racing, y’all.

Both of them know there are risks — they could get water up their noses.  Or they could fall during the race and lose. 

But they do it anyways. 

They let courage sit in the driver seat and decide the path.

When did I tell courage to get up and give the seat to fear?
Did it happen when I was little?  Is it something that I just got used to doing and just didn’t stop?  How can I make that little fear brat get up and give the seat back to courage?

I’ve been thinking a lot about bravery lately and how acting out of fear affects my daily living.  When my brain and thoughts started going towards fear, what prompted me to go that place? 

And what I realized is that fear is almost second nature to me. 
Fear is easy for me. 
Fear keeps me quiet. 
Fear keeps me second guessing. 
Fear blows everything out of proportion.   

I am not operating at my best, which is where God wants me to operate, when I am operating out of fear.  Fear means I’m not trusting God at His word.  Fear means I’m afraid I won’t be able to control the outcome. 

So I have literally had to take every.single.thought captive. 

I’ve had to take the scary, full of fear thoughts and speak them out loud to God.  “God, is this true? “  I’ve had to speak truth to those lies.  I’ve had to stop listening to some things that continue to fuel my fear fire.  And start listening MORE to those things that fuel my faith fire. 

Because at the end of the day, we KNOW He works all things for good, right?

Well if you don’t know that, I’m here to tell you…He works ALL THINGS for good.
Not just one thing.
Not just the pretty things.
Not just the easy things.
Nope, He works ALL THINGS for good.

I made a list of all the things I consider “bad” or “hard” that I have had to endure over the past couple of years.  Then I wrote the good things that have come from those experiences. 

If I just focused on that “bad” list, yes I could continue to operate out of fear because that list is SCARY.  But I’m choosing to focus on the GOOD…and see His faithfulness. 

Let’s be real….there are some hard things I’m experiencing right now and I can’t see the good yet.  BUT BUT BUT I know it’s there.  He knows it’s there.  And I’m choosing to trust what I can’t see yet…I’m choosing to trust His promise.

2019 is my full of JOY year…which means taking some steps towards courage and bravery and leaving fear behind.   Fear loves to rob you of your joy, and I’ve let that happen too much over the past couple of years.  So today, I’m adding a little fuel to your faith fire. 

Ask God where you are operating out of fear and ask Him to point you towards where you should be acting out of faith.  And then go do something brave because He’s equipped you to do it.  He’s put a desire and a dream in your heart…
Write that book. 
Start that podcast. 
Invite that friend. 
Quit that job and begin the one you really want to do. 
Chase that white rabbit.

And then wait for the adventure and blessing and testimony that will come from a Father who loves to see you grow and flourish and thrive and bloom.

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“—so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”