‘You can make many plans, but the Lord ’s purpose will prevail.’ Proverbs 19:21(NLT)
‘O Lord , I give my life to you. I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others. Show me the right path, O Lord ; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Remember, O Lord , your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past. Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord . The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.’ Psalms 25:1-10(NLT)
Fear of missing out on opportunities, adventures, or relationships can make it difficult to establish and maintain healthy boundaries. Worse, it can hinder our ability to clearly hear and obey God.
In my spiritually immature days, I deceived myself into believing others held power over my future. I thought if they didn’t hire me for a particular job, give me a certain contract, or accept me into some program, I wouldn’t achieve my dreams. Then there was all the pressure I placed upon myself, rooted in the same faulty thinking. I worried if I turned something down I might miss whatever lay at the end of some unforeseen path. This mentality caused me to act out of a pervasive fear of missing out rather than peaceful obedience to Christ.
I traded the joy and fulfillment of serving Him for stressing and striving.
Early in my writing career, this greatly hindered my ability to say no and caused me to over-commit myself. Rather than prayerfully considering how God might want to use my time, rather than trusting Him to lovingly guide me and to perfect all that concerned me, I eagerly accepted every opportunity. Whenever a new title released, I packed my schedule with so many promotional activities and endeavors, out of fear, that I began to hate writing.
My efforts amounted to little more than exhaustion and, in fact for a while, they seemed to be working against me. I suspect God was helping me understand how little control I actually had and how dependent I was on Him. Then one day it hit me: if God wanted me to succeed, whatever the endeavor, I would. If He didn’t, I wouldn’t, regardless of all my striving.
After this, I began to live and write differently. My goal shifted from results onto obedience as I focused on prayerfully aligning my heart with God’s. I found peace and joy in Him, not my momentary achievements. As I did, my fear of missing out slowly died. In its place arose the Godly confidence of knowing I’m walking firmly in God’s will. The satisfaction that brings outweighs any emotion or potential missed opportunity might have brought.
~Jennifer Slattery
from Faith Over Fear