FACE YOUR FEARS

Your bus was late, so you got home late, so your dinner was late, so you got ready late, so you left the house late, so you've arrived late to your new youth group, choir practice, footie team, party ... you get the picture. You're by yourself, and you look through a crack in the door and see that everyone is there already. You're about to walk in, but then the fear kicks in. You start to sweat and panic; there's no way you can go in there and face them all. What if they all turn around to look at you, thinking goodness knows what? What if you get embarrassed and they all think you're stupid? What if they all talk about you? So many 'what ifs'. So you turn around and go home, missing out on what could have been a fantastic night. Stop! Rewind! Go back to when you got to the door, and stop saying "What if ...". Instead, say 'So what if ...?' Know that with God on your side, with His grace, you can handle anything. You may not especially like it, but you can do it, and you'll survive to face another day. When Jeremiah wanted to scarper from a whole bunch of people, God stepped in, and told Jerry not to be afraid, because He would be with him every step of the way. The same is true for you; so don't run away.
Do you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to other people? Have you got a case of 'if-only-itis'? You always see where everyone else gets it right, and you just keep getting it wrong? You wish you were more like your best mate. Or maybe you always see the glass half empty, 'They'll never want to talk to me', or 'I could never do that' or 'Why would they go out with me when they could have someone better?' If that's you, stop! Rewind! Try and look at yourself with a God-mirror. Isaiah 43:4 says 'That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.' (TM). That's you He's talking about there. Say to yourself: 'They're what God made them, and I'm what God made me. I'm unique - in a good way. Yes, I make mistakes, but I'm not a mistake. With God's grace, I can work on loving myself, on being the capable person He's made me to be'. Accept that it's a process. You don't have to get it right straight away - after all, you're only human! But if God says you can do it, you can, so face your fears. Do what you've been afraid to do. God's promise of '... I am with you ...' (Jeremiah 1:19 NLT) was all Jeremiah needed, and it's all you need too.