?0?? Or 2022!

I joked with my family I planned to write 2022 as the Riddler does in the new Batman trailers: ?0??. The past two years have been very challenging for some of us. At that time, I didn’t see any reason not to question ‘22.

Something happened Sunday, though, that shifted my mindset and gave me better perspective. This is something I challenge us all to do, by the way. I’ve written about doing just that many times before. I struggle putting this to practice.

As ‘21 winded down, I found myself experiencing negative thinking at times. When those thoughts creep in, it does not take long for them to gain company. Before I know it, I not only have a negative thought, but I also tend to have a catastrophic one rolling around as well. Folks, this does not feel good.

I mentioned before when my son and I did the MSF course on test day, I had all kinds of negative thoughts: thoughts I couldn’t make it, that I’d fail, how it would look, etc. Prayer got me through it, truly. These thoughts were grounded in fear. In fact, most of the negative and sometimes catastrophic ones are for me.

Fear creeped in again when I rode a motorcycle in traffic—I mean real traffic and not Mississippi backroad traffic—for the first time. Could I do it? Would I remember everything? Am I really doing this? As much as I’ve wanted to do this and have daydreamed about it, could I actually do it and do it safely?

Fear.

For the past several years since we’ve been in East Tennessee, my family and I have practiced having a word for the coming year. It’s really cool to look back and see how that word intertwines into your life. Things tend to come to me in my sleep. I’m not sure why, but one theory is that is when I am still and quiet enough for God to give me these thoughts. I’ve had “fear not” in my head. I knew there was scripture tied to those words, and when I searched for it, I saw Isaiah 41:10.

For 2022, I had given a lot of thought to what I would choose, what would speak to me. If you revisit the title of this post, you’ll see the uncertainty, the fear. Yesterday, I heard a message at church that challenged us to listen for God’s voice as a whisper. In the story, God did not show up in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire. God showed up in a whisper. Of course we should seek Him in the big things, but let’s not forget to seek Him in all things, including a whisper. Or sleep.

So, rather than looking at ‘22 as a series of question marks, I’m going to do my best to see ‘22 as this: 2022!

An interesting thing happened when I rode that bike through traffic, when I pushed through the fear. It was exhilarating! I don’t use that word often, but it was everything I thought it would be. It felt like I imagined and better. I couldn’t/can’t stop thinking about it or wanting to revisit and ride a new road. A funny thing about anxiety…physiologically, anxiety and excitement are super close. Our bodies do the same kinds of things. The difference is the label. Now, believe me, I know anxiety isn’t that easy. It’s not. But, if we can remember that we’re in charge of the label maker, it might just help us see things perhaps differently.

I have some things planned for the coming year, and I hope to tell you more about them in the coming posts. I’m going to do my best to battle my fears and worries. I’m sure I’ll tell you about some of it as I go. I hope you join me in making this year your best yet. Don’t let it be questionable. Fear not and let it be exclamatory.

#newyear #fear #anxiety #motorcycles #thoughts #Jesus #prayer #Isaiahfortyone #fearnot