My wife and I were doing our morning devotional and read this verse.
Proverbs 26:13 A lazy one says, “There is a lion on the road! A lion is in the public square!”
What does this mean? The commentary talks about it as being our fear. We believe there is a lion out roaming the street, so we are afraid to go out and do what we need to (take action) care of ourselves, our family, our business, our relationships, and so on.
This made me stop and look at my own life and what I am not taking action on because I fear something.
Prey animals, horses, for instance, are always on the lookout for threats. Their survival depends on it, at least when they live in the wild. They have to read and be aware of their surroundings constantly. They don’t know when the predator will pop out of the woods to get them.
Then we wonder why when we saddle up our horse and go for a trail ride, they get scared at something and act up. We don’t see anything, but your horse says there is danger over there. I’m not going. We get frustrated and don’t understand why they won’t go that way. Humans can use our rational mind and know that it is a plastic bag flopping in the wind, not a threat. But to the horse, it could be a lion lurking, ready to pounce. To us, all we see is a harmless bag. They don’t have the ability to reason. All they see is the bag caught in the tree, and it’s out of order for the surrounding area, so that must be a danger. Anxiety and fear show up in anything they don’t understand, and their self-preservation/instinct is trying to figure out whether I run or stay. Am I the next meal for a predator?
I’m not doing this or that because of fear. Even though we can think logically, we can still let fear influence our decisions. Fears of Failure, not having enough, what someone will say, the world is heading into chaos, fear causes us not to do what we need to. It allows someone else to be in control of your life. Fear is a great way to let ourselves be controlled. We act much like that horse. Its fear of the bag keeps you, the rider, from riding down the trail. The bag, the fear, is controlling the horse. You will not be able to go down that trail until you desensitize and get the horse comfortable with the bag.
Suppose you let fear dictate your decisions. You will not do what you need to because there is something to be afraid of; it stops us from taking action. This is what the verse above is warning against.
Who or what is causing fear in your life?
What do you want to do that you’re not, and what is the fear holding you back?
Fear is one of those things that is wired into our biology for a good reason to help keep us safe. The key is to keep it in check and not to let it control you.
Interesting Note: The bible gives us 365 verses that tell us to fear not. What a great daily reminder of how to live Fearless.
Suppose you find your not taking action on something. Drill down on the why question. Why am I not taking action?
