Be humble. Be fearless. I whisper this to myself when no one is around. In the car. In prayer. While taking my daughter through the aisles at Target looking for a birthday present for her classmate. Be humble. Be fearless. It has become my new mantra. And I must admit, the breadth of the impact has been quite surprising.
The mantra came to me while meditating upon “Be not afraid, I go before you always” of which part is a Christian song I was taught in my youth. When I look up the phrase “Be not afraid” from the Bible, I found 25 results, and of those, at least 2/3rds are quickly followed by some reminder that God is with us. In the old testament, God says “Be not afraid, for I am with thee to deliver thee” (Jeremiah 1:8 KJV) and similar verses that show God goes before us, the battle is not ours but God’s (2 Chronicles 20:15). In the new testament Jesus says, “it is I, be not afraid” (Matthew 14:27 and Mark 6:50 and John 6:20).
God doesn’t promise to remove the burden from us in this life, but time and time again, he reassures us that he is with us and that we need not trust in ourselves, but in him. For this, I can securely say – be fearless.
But, “be fearless” alone would lead me astray. I cannot be fearless in my own ambitions. The battle is not mine, but God’s.
If I’ve learned anything at all, it’s when I think I’m in control that God provides me with gentle reminders that I am not. That gentle reminder may appear to me as my entire empire crumbling, which took years of building, the stone blocks bore on my own back sealed with sweat from my brow. I need to remember my back is not strong enough to bear the weight of those blocks, my sweat not strong enough to create the seal. If it stood up, it was God’s strength that carried the weight, his grace the seal.
Nothing that is of me is from me. For I am not mine alone. I am made up of stories passed on by my parents and grandparents. Friends who have given advice. And countless peers and experts along the way. I have read many books. Studied the studies from other greats. And I continue to learn from those who walked before me and who will rise after me. Anything that I can do, He does through me. From this I will strive to remember to be humble. And because I can be humble in knowing I am not standing here alone: That. That encourages me to be fearless.
MintROI 