When fear keeps bringing you back

Fear can bring us back to the same thing again and again. A person. A circumstance. Something that happened. In No More Fear, Ashley describes how our energy can gradually move towards avoiding fear instead of confronting it. The fear remains, and more of life is organised around keeping away from it.

But there is a distinction we need to keep. Some fear alerts us to real danger. A hot stove, a sharp curve in the road or the risk of falling from a roof deserves attention. Taking precautions in those situations is wise. Ignoring a genuine danger is not the response this teaching asks for.

The question is what happens when fear reaches beyond that protective role. Perhaps there is something you believe God is calling you towards, and you find yourself saying no while wanting to say yes. The issue is no longer simply whether fear is present. It is how much room fear is being given to decide.

The book is realistic about this: fear belongs to human experience in an imperfect world. The larger question is whether it will keep limiting our openness to God’s plan. That gives us something more useful to consider than waiting for a life in which fear never appears.

Consider the thing you keep returning to. Is fear warning you about a danger that needs sensible precautions? Or is avoidance beginning to set the boundary of what you are willing to consider? Take that distinction seriously. There is no need to dismiss a real risk in order to examine the places where fear has become limiting.

You may recognise something you want to say yes to. Begin by being willing to consider it again. The question from the book is an invitation to examine fear’s influence, and to remain open to what God may be calling you towards.