No Fear!
By Jen Wollner
“Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”
2 Corinthians 3:5
My six-year-old son took part in a basketball camp last month that was run by our local high school basketball coach. It was an intimidating experience for him because he was the youngest of the kids participating, the team coaches were all high school players (very scary!), and the gym was really noisy with all those balls bouncing and whistles blowing. This was also the first time he ever played basketball…well, except in our driveway!By Jen Wollner
“Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”
2 Corinthians 3:5
My son gets anxious for any new experience, but this was more than enough to put him over the edge. As we talked through his fears, he revealed to me that he was most worried about not being a good dribbler or shooter. He was very insecure because he wasn’t at all confident in his basketball skills. In order to relax and have fun, not to mention learn something at the camp, he needed the assurance that he would do well. Although he really wanted to play, his fear of failure was strongly affecting his motivation to even try. He was almost paralyzed…and were it not for encouragement from us and the coach that good effort was more important than skill level, he probably would not have participated at all.
We’ve all experienced insecurities at one time or another in terms of our abilities. Let’s face it, there’s always someone better out there, no matter how good we are at something. When we put our confidence in our own competence, we often end up feeling like a failure. But, if we recognize that our competence comes from God, we can rest assured that we can accomplish anything He calls us to do. Our foundation in His capability is solid. We don’t have to compare ourselves to others or try to pump ourselves up on our own skills or talents. We can simply rest in the security that His abilities are more than sufficient to equip us for any task.
Dribbling…No problem! Shooting…No sweat!
Playing on God’s team by His competence…No fear!
GOING DEEPER:
1. What abilities are you insecure about? Do your fears prohibit you from obediently doing the things God asks of you?
FURTHER READING:
Philippians 3:3
Jen and her husband are busily parenting three children age six and under. Jen heads the Fresh Start ministry and is on the leadership team for Mission: Hope, Oakwood’s orphan care ministry.
