By April Terry (personal blog  http://faithwarming.blogspot.com)

There was an amusement park about two hours north from where I grew up in Southern Utah.  Every year, we made the trek to go there for my dad’s annual fun day with the company he worked for.  Each year, my dad talked about the roller coaster that he planned on riding first thing all the way there.  I used to get more and more nervous about riding that coaster the closer that we got to the amusement park, and standing in line anticipating it was often the worst.  My stomach would turn knots, but I would never say a word because I was afraid to admit that I was terrified.  The one thing that I remember most is the fear that I had before riding it, but the fear I experienced before riding it was far less than during the actual ride itself.   For one thing, it was shorter lasting, and the fear of the unknown is often worse than what we often actually face once we meet it.

In many ways, putting ourselves out there to meet new people can be that same way.  We often avoid connecting with others because of what we think or anticipate others will think or say about us, but in the end, it rarely plays out that way.   With my dad growing up, there wasn’t much option in saying that you weren’t going to ride it because you were afraid.  I would’ve probably liked to avoid riding the coaster, but I was more afraid of being thought a coward in front of my dad than I was of riding the roller coaster, so I got real quiet and went on the ride.  To this day, I love roller coasters and I’m glad that my dad didn’t let me bail out on them.  He taught me something more than just about riding roller coasters.  He taught me to overcome fear, and that’s always a valuable lesson.

When it comes to sharing our faith, I think that a lot of people don’t feel they are able to because they make it into a bigger roller coaster than it really is.  When Jim Henderson asked, “What if evangelism means just being yourself?” it helps us to realize that it doesn’t take all that much risk to be ourselves in front of others.  Actually, it’s pretty easy.  The important thing is to remember that the God part doesn’t have to be that part of us that we don’t show anyone outside of our immediate family.  If God is a part of our lives then He will be revealed to others eventually—no need to push or nudge for it, just let it be. 

You’ve probably heard the old saying that if you get bucked off a horse; you need to get right back on.  When it comes to relationships, we’ve all been bucked off, but we make it like it’s harder to get right back on than it is.   Relationships aren’t about conquest or at least they shouldn’t be.  We don’t get to conquer the whole of a person in a relationship.  It isn’t a process of winning or losing.  It’s a process of loving and learning.  We should be entering into new relationships as if we’re exploring a new world because that’s where the wonder and the awe of a relationship is revealed.

Fear is usually irrational and paralyzing and it says more about our faith if we don’t allow it to rule over us.  Like the roller coaster that I had to face once a year, we need to step forward and prove that our faith gives us the courage and confidence to explore the unknown—whoever they may be.  I’ve learned that most people are comfortable with us if we are comfortable with ourselves and that knowing yourself is a first step to learning about others, but fear keeps us from knowing ourselves and ultimately others as well.  Like that darn rollercoaster, our fear is worse than the reality.