Get off the Couch
My blog earlier this week was a shout out to all the women out there who need to give themselves a break. Many of us are compelled to keep pushing. Whether it’s with work, working out, in our homes, or a thousand other outlets, we’re never satisfied. We never rest. Beneath all the busyness, we’re striving to find our value in our performance. This is an exhausting way to live the one life we’ve been given.But not every woman needs to be coaxed to try out the proverbial couch. There are some women who can’t seem to get off the couch. Your first thought may be that these lazy women need to get off their rear ends and stop eating bon bons (what are those?) or scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. In reality, I think we miss the silent reason keeping some women on the couch. The same tactic that keeps some from ever resting is also the one that keeps others from ever trying: fear.[bctt tweet="The same tactic that keeps some from resting is also the one that keeps others from trying: fear."]Sometimes fear stems from a painful experience in the past. I spoke recently to a woman who’d had a rough season in her life. If she hadn’t given the time frame, I would’ve thought the pain was a fresh wound of recent weeks. Instead, a fifteen-year paralysis had kept her from being the woman God created her to be. Everything in her life has changed over fifteen years… everything except the power of this one wound.It can be easier for some people to shut down rather than risk being hurt again. Some of us choose to never set another goal because it seems safer than risking failure. Whether in the category of relationships or goals, if we’re not careful, we can allow the enemy to use one failure to keep us from a hundred wins.If you find yourself wandering, uncommitted, or unfocused, and in your heart you know that it’s fear that keeps you from suiting up for the game of life, I want to share with you three scriptures. Fear can feel big, but through Christ it can become small.
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.(2 Timothy 1:7)If you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit lives in you. The Holy Spirit supplies us the power, love, and self-control so we can be used to accomplish God’s specific plan for our lives.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:8)The same One who created love has the ability to cause fear to flee from you. In our own strength, we’ll get stuck… but God’s perfect love is strong enough to cause fear to flee.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that you may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
[bctt tweet="Fear can feel big, but through Christ it can become small."]If you find yourself struggling to see God’s divine purpose for you, I want to tell you that you’re not alone in your struggle. Yet remaining alone in the battle will rarely bring the healing God desires. Don’t allow the thief to be in control one moment longer. I challenge you to reach out to a follower of Christ. Reach out to a community of believers. When we realize we are a fellow struggler on this journey, fear begins to lose its grip. Other people have overcome the exact same fear that paralyzes you.Need help getting off the couch? I would love to help make God’s promises personal to you. Please email karin.conlee@highpointmemphis.com and I'd love to help you move past your fear.