Sarah D. Shearer

To Those Who Have a Crazy Dream:

Fear is a funny thing. It’s funny because it often comes wearing unexpected disguises. Rather than the scary black cloak and long pointy finger nails we expect, Fear usually arrives wearing business casual, preppy heels, red lipstick and toting a designer purse. She’s prepared with an agenda and a skim mocha latte.  Fear looks like she has her you -know -what together.

She sits down at an artsy coffee- house table, pulls out her iPad, and starts reminding you of all your obligations. You thought the meeting was going to be life-giving, and even though she isn’t really saying anything intrinsically negative, you suddenly feel a little, well, deflated. You had this awesome dream, and you wanted to be sure you were on the track, so you weighed the odds. Smart, right? She’s telling you you don’t have the money (It’s true, you  don’t!), she’s telling you people may not like what you have to say, (They may not!), and, to ice the practical cake, she mentions very kindly you may not be ready yet.  You don’t have experience. You’ve never done this before. You will probably fail. She brings up an obscure statistic about how 85% of people fail at whatever they are trying to do.

Fear doesn’t really want to detract as much as it wants to paralyze.

Stay where you are. You’re safe there. No one is expecting anything from you.

Well, friends, I must tell you, I have been invited into the great wide depths of the sea by the Maker of it all, and it is scary.

In a record amount of time, it seems, I have made decisions which are very costly. Decisions that brought pain, sleepless nights and heart-beating-fast moments throughout the day.  I have battled thoughts of inadequacy, wondering if I’m crazy, and if I’ve just effectively screwed absolutely everything up.

I’m going to be 25 next month and I’m still not sure what I want to be when I grow up. That in and of itself is scary. But here’s what I’ve done, and it’s what I’m encouraging you to do.

• Listen to the right  voices. When you pray, listen  for the Lord’s response. Pray harder than you ever have before. Read the word, and read only life-giving text. CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS WISELY. Several of my best friends are over a decade ahead of me in this life thing. I want friends who are on the right track, friends who  are following Jesus closely, friends who have been through the fire. Choose your people, because you will become like them. In the midst of some really hard choices I’m exceedingly thankful for my parents, siblings, mentors and close friends.
• Do it anyway. Don’t wait until you have all your ducks in a row to make a dream happen. You will be waiting forever. Don’t be afraid of the unknown. Embrace it, and be ok with not being an expert.
• Rest. One of the most difficult aspects of this season has been my constant feeling of restlessness. I’m wired to always be doing, acting, performing, producing, etc. Every time I’ve tried to  make it happen on my own, Jesus is like, “hey sarah, please chill. i’ve got this, girl.” How do you rest while doing it anyway?? I don’t know. You dig really really deep in your heart and find a rest that’s way deeper than a nap, and you plant yourself there. Then you do it anyway.

I’ve launched a business, which is something I’ve wanted to do for years, and you know what’s kept me from it? Fear, in her Kate Spade glasses, looking me square in the eye and saying, “You’re not a writer. You don’t have enough experience. You change your mind too much. This will never last.”

And to her I respond, maybe you are correct, old friend, but I’m willing to run the risk.

By the way, I got a call today that confirmed I’m totally on the right track, and I’ve been in tears at His faithfulness. You’ve never failed me, Lord!

If you are interested in finding out more about my new venture, click here: http://www.sarahdtaylor.com

¹³ Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Exodus 14