Flee from fear: 6 words to get away
“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.” — Dale Carnegie
Why does fear win so often?
It shouldn’t. Let me show you a few stunning numbers.
1 in 11.5 million — I know many of you are heading to a beach soon. Based on that number, there’s no need to worry. Your chance of being attacked by a shark really is just 1 in 11.5 million.
Feel better? I didn’t think so.
The first time seaweed brushes up against your calf, you’ll likely jump. When you peer through your binoculars and spot a rotted piece of wood floating aimlessly, you won’t take any chances. “Time for lunch, kids! Let’s clear out of the water!”
Here’s a better number.
1 in 750 million — Ever ridden a roller coaster at Cedar Point or Kennywood? Did you know that just 1 in 750 million people will die on one this year? That’s ANY roller coaster. At ANY amusement park. At ANY place around the world.
Good to know, right? Yet that probably won’t mean much as you inch toward the gate and size up the first hill. Officially, it’s a 125-foot drop, but in your imagination it becomes 125,000 feet. You might even get to the front of the line and freeze, like a buddy of mine once did. My 6-3, 250-pound buddy. When it came time to enter his car, he refused. The young lady operating the coaster was floored. Those in line behind us began to mock him and shout obscenities. Nevertheless, he chose to take the walk of shame back through the line, apologizing and excusing himself dozens of times on his way out.
He was well aware of the number I just shared with you. Yet he never got on.
OK, let’s explore one more number.
1 in 400 trillion — Those were the odds of you even being born. Please take a moment to ponder that. That’s crazy, isn’t it? The odds of you being alive, wherever you’re reading this sentence, is just a scooch above zero. Zilch. Nada.
You, friend, are a miracle. So am I.
Let’s live like it.
WHAT’S YOUR STORY?
But here’s the problem. Unless you’re a math professor, an accountant or a Fantasy Football geek, numbers don’t move the needle.
Stories do.
And whether we admit it or not, we’ll always believe certain stories over others — no matter what the numbers might say.
“With my luck, I’ll be the ONE in the ocean when the real ‘Jaws’ is scoping out dinner.”
“The way my life’s been going, I’ll be the ONE on the roller coaster when it soars off the tracks and crashes onto the midway.”
“I hate my life. What a waste. I’m the ONE who broke the mold.”
Those are all just stories we tell ourselves, you know. As Dale Carnegie so brilliantly stated at the top, we are not creatures of logic. No matter what the numbers might tell us, we’ll counter with a story. And it’s often a scary story.
I’ve heard from three different friends over the past two weeks. They watch a lot of cable “news” and scroll through social media often. They’ve told me they’re frightened. They feel lost. They believe our world is out of control. We’re days away from another civil war.
They could be right.
Or maybe they’re listening to the wrong storytellers.
Today’s cable shows and social media platforms, Twitter in particular, are INTENDED to arouse our anger and fear. Especially fear. That’s their business model. That’s why we go to bed with our phone at 11pm and finally stop scrolling at 2am. It’s addictive. And it’s extremely dangerous for our mental health.
The short-term answer would be to put your phone down, but that’s a band-aid and we know band-aids fall off after awhile. We need to explore real and lasting change, so lean in and let me tell you a different story. It’s a story I didn’t believe, or start living out, until adulthood. But it’s a story so powerful, so compelling, I want to share it with you today.
The best part of this story? It was written for you, too.
YOUR NUMBER’S UP
Let’s return to the final number we examined at the beginning — 1 in 400 trillion. But let’s look at it from a different perspective: Because you are alive and breathing and reading today, you are the ONE we are focusing on.
You are the ONE … God knew before you were formed in your mother’s womb — Jeremiah 1:4-5
You are the ONE … God chose to “knit together” — Psalm 139:13
You are the ONE … God created as a masterpiece — Ephesians 2:10
You are the ONE … God sent his Son to die for that you may have everlasting life — John 3:16
You are the ONE … Jesus is talking to when he says, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33
You are the ONE … God has given a spirit of power, of love and self-control. Not fear or timidity. — 2 Timothy 1:7
I love this thought from St. Augustine: “God loves each ONE of us as if there was only ONE of us to love.”
Yes, you are the ONE. And out of God’s great love, you are the ONE he fashioned to be here on July 23, 2020. He knew you would need to read this sentence. Today. At this exact time.
You are no accident. You are no mistake. You are no “oops!” (He chose your skin color, your eye color, your body type and your natural gifts.)
If you are here, you belong. (Even if you are alone right now.)
If you are here, you are valued. (Even if some others can’t see your worth.)
If you are here, you are loved. (More than you can ever imagine.)
Now THAT’S the story I’m believing. I hope you will, too.
So here’s my prayer for those of you who might be struggling today. It’s a simple concept, but I’ll predict you’ll find plenty of reasons to fight it. Yet if you can break through, it will be the best decision you’ll ever make. And it’s THE choice that will significantly impact the rest of your days.
Change your story. Change your life.
Not only in the craziness of this number we call 2020.
For all eternity.
(Tim Kolodziej is the creator of EnspireU.com and author of this piece. You can email him here.)