Beth Burns
Professional Life Coach 404-550-908

FAITH AND FEAR

A friend and I were recently talking about personal growth.  He was commenting on how some people have an awareness of growth issues, yet they choose to do nothing to implement them in their lives.  His comment was the age old quote of, "You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink."

It made me think of a comment Zig Ziglar once made when he said, "People say that motivation doesn't last.  Well, neither does bathing.  That's why we recommend it daily".  Ha!

Hmmmm.  After the conversation, I began to think further about the horse phrase and all it really means.  True, you cannot force a horse to drink, as far as I know.  I really know nothing about horses, but I will believe this to be true.

Then I began to expand this idea of the horse and the water.  Imagine this:

it is a clear day, a beautiful summer day.  Two horses are walking through the meadow enjoying the warmth and leisure that surrounds them.  After a while, they come upon a lovely, inviting pond.  As the sun is getting hot, the one horse, Faith, decides she wants to get wet, drink and cool off.

The other horse, Fear, wants no part of that.  He wonders what would possess Faith to want to get in that water.  Who knows what is underneath?  It could be cold, muddy, and dangerous.  There could be snakes.  She could cut herself on the rocks.  She could even potentially drown.

No, Fear thinks it is best to stay on the shore and gaze at his proud reflection in the water.  He doesn't want to look silly and he won't be caught up in the mud or come out of that water hurt in any way. He'll play it safe.

But Faith takes a chance.  She steps carefully into the water and the cool gentleness surrounds her.  She feels the mud below and it squishes around her.  She moves forward and stumbles just a bit on a rock that she could not see below the surface.  She catches herself, not as gracefully as she would like, but she  doesn't fall. She is uneasy and even though it is scary, she is far enough in now where she is committed to keep going.

She wishes Fear would join her, but understands that he is not willing. Faith and Fear are in two very different places.

After a bit if time, Faith begins to get used to the water as it feels
refreshing and comfortable.  Soon thereafter, she is splashing around and playing like a champ.  She calls to Fear who wistfully watches her joy from the shore.  Her confidence radiates from the water.

Fear is happy for her, but too unsure of himself to go in. Darn, he is hot and thirsty but it just might not work out as well for him if he decides to take the risk.  What if it is too cold?  What if he goes under?  What if something bites him?  Ohmygosh, what if he actually drowns?

This is how it is with many people too. Why is that we sometimes forget to truly live?  Faith had much to lose by taking a chance.  She did it, not without some snags and hurts, but she gained everything in the end.  Fear on the other hand, had nothing to lose because he would not take a chance and, in the end, gained nothing.

Living means trusting, being vulnerable and taking risks.  It means following your heart and committing to take the plunge.  Life offers no guarantees that there will not be pain and snags along the way.  It does guarantee growth and hope with every step forward we take.  To take a risk and grow, we have to learn to replace Fear with Faith.

And so it goes with us.  We all have the opportunity to go swimming if we choose.  We also have the choice of standing on the shore and never risking growth.  For me there is no question about what I should do.

I am going to call my friend now and ask him to come swimming with me.

Copyright 1999 by Beth Pugh.
Attribution required for distribution/duplication.

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