What Is Fear Causing Me to Miss Out On?

Evie Polsley is a suburban girl at heart but has been converted to a National Parks fan by her amazing husband. Though they live in the Midwest, they have taken their daughters to a National Park at least once a year since their oldest was born 16 years ago. The only thing Evie loves more than being with her family as they discovering new expressions of God’s amazing creation is exploring God’s Word. Evie is a member of the Bible Team at Tyndale House Publishers, where she helps provide resources to people of all ages who want to better understand the Bible and apply it to their lives. It’s a joy to welcome Evie Polsley to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Evie Polsley

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105, NLT

I have never been “outdoorsy.” Growing up, when my family would go camping, one of my favorite times was when it would rain, forcing us to stay in our camper and play board games. My husband, on the other hand, is a National Park nut. We have National Park posters hanging up in our house, our family has Ken Burns’ The National Parks: America’s Best Idea documentary series on replay, and I now own hiking boots.

As someone who is scared to death of heights, has a terrible sense of direction, and has watched way too many reels about bears being in places they shouldn’t, the idea of hiking through woods and mountains makes my worst-case scenario mindset go into hyperdrive.

One of our first hikes at Yosemite National Park was on a trail that had a steep drop-off right alongside a waterfall, which made the “steps” slippery.

I clung to my husband, Kevin, and tried with everything in me to push through, but fear soon took over, and I ended up scooting down the stairs, unable to stand up.

Through a lot of frustration, embarrassment, fear, and anger, Kevin finally convinced me to take an alternative route that would be longer but not as steep. As we hiked switchback to switchback, I started complaining: “Are we going the right way?” “This is taking forever.” “We’re lost! There is no way we are going the right way.” Kevin looked at me and said, “I have a map. I have a plan. It’s going to be okay. Just take my hand and rest for a minute.”

As I held his hand, stopping to look at interesting formations or plants along the way, my fears began to dissipate, and I started to enjoy it. When we made it to the end of the trail, I was mesmerized.

” If I had let fear control me, I never would have experienced God’s power and closeness in a way I never could have imagined.”

I gazed around me at the splendor and majesty of the mountains, heard the gushing of the waterfall, and felt its reviving spray on my skin. Breathing in the scent of nature in its pure form and seeing God’s magnificent creating skills on full display, I was transfixed. And I almost missed this life-enriching experience because I was afraid. If I had let fear control me, I never would have experienced God’s power and closeness in a way I never could have imagined. Standing near Navada Falls, Psalm 8 came roaring to life:

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!” (Psalm 8:3-9, NLT).

I think sometimes I approach the Bible like I do hiking. I am overwhelmed by its enormity, I don’t know how to tackle it, and I am scared something might bite me (okay not really, but I am scared I’ll be pushed out of my comfort zone). Do I miss part of God’s amazing presence because Leviticus seems boring or Ezekiel feels like too much to handle?

“Do I miss part of God’s amazing presence because Leviticus seems boring or Ezekiel feels like too much to handle?“

To be completely honest, sometimes I avoid reading the Bible because I feel unworthy or not smart enough to understand it. I avoid the beautiful view of who God is because I am afraid of failing or looking stupid.

But when I relinquish those fears and doubts, when I take God’s hand and say, like Eli instructed Samuel, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10), I am transfixed by the beauty of his Word just as I am in awe of his creation. Even during the lengthy switchback portions of the Bible that can seem difficult or boring, just knowing I am walking with and listening to God can help me push through.

The Bible is a guide for us to better understand who God is and who we are in him, but we don’t have to sprint through it. It’s a complete story, but God also wants us to stop and enjoy his goodness, basking in portions of Scripture along the way.

Remember, God’s Word is a lamp to guide our feet, not a floodlight that illuminates the entire way.

Take God’s hand, relax in his presence, and enjoy the journey.

Evie Polsley is a member of the Bible Team at Tyndale House Publishers. She loves being an advocate for the New Living Translation and helping people discover Bibles that eliminate barriers so they, too, can fall in love with God’s Word! The One Year Bible is a great way to stay on track in your Bible reading and enjoy exploring God’s story. One Year Bibles can take you through Scripture in two different ways. The daily reading path explores one passage each from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. The chronological path uses a more story-based format with passages combined in timeline order instead of by category. There are study, journaling, and devotional editions available as well.

{Our humble thanks to Tyndale for their partnership in today’s devotional.}