fear highlighted

A few weeks ago I took a walk on the wild side: I highlighted my hair from a box. Well, really, my friend Sarah Chang did it. If you’ve had your hair professionally highlighted, then you know what I mean when I say IT IS EXPENSIVE! So, I always wanted to see what would happen if I highlighted it from a box. I mean, it is so much cheaper and the girl on the front always looks fabulous. But there has been this other voice inside of my head saying, “Don’t do it Katie. Something will definitely go wrong. There’s a reason they have professionals for this.” I did not want to be the girl with the tiger stripes. So, although I’ve always wanted to take the risk of highlighting my hair from a box, I never did. Why? Because of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection (if it turned out really bad). Now, I’m not saying that if you prefer professional highlights, you’re wrong. In fact, I may not ever go the do-it-yourself route again. But here’s the point: fear is crippling. Fear keeps us from risking, and if faith is spelled R-I-S-K, then fear keeps us from walking in faith.
 There are actually a lot of things I haven’t done because of fear. I have a long history with fear. When I was two years old, my parents took us to Disney World, which I think they ended up regretting. I would scream and cry when I saw any character with a mask on. Who doesn’t like Mickey Mouse? My two-year-old self. I wouldn’t even talk to Belle because that dumb Beast was always with her. My options were very limited, but I ended up forming a very special connection with Jasmine. Also when I was really young, my parents took us to the beach. That was also a problem because I was scared of sand. You heard me right, I would not walk on the sand for the life of me. I was absolutely sure that the sand crabs were going to eat up my feet. And let’s not even talk about the ocean. Sharks and jellyfish, there was no way you were getting me in there. These are only two of my irrational fear stories - you can ask me about the other ones later. But here is the moral of them all: I have missed out on so much in my life because of fear. I didn’t get to experience the fullness of Disney World or the joy of sticking my feet in the sand all because of fear. And fear almost never makes sense; it is so irrational. How likely was it that a character with a mask was going to come after me? Or sand crabs were going to eat me alive? Do you see where I’m going with this? I think the enemy’s favorite weapon is fear because it steals the abundance of life. Fear says you better stay where you are because even if it isn’t a good place, at least it is comfortable. Fear may allow us to do our Christian duty, but it keeps us from risking for the kingdom. It definitely keeps us from dreaming with God. And the root of fear is a lack of trust. If I had trusted my parents when they told me that walking on the sand wouldn’t hurt me, I could have had so much more fun on the beach. Instead, I stood on a kickboard and watched everyone else playing and having fun. That is what fear does, it keeps us on the sidelines. God is calling us to adventure, and we can trust him. His voice is sure and His promises are good. He will never lead us astray. I have been experiencing this in the deepest way throughout my journey of moving to Baton Rouge. Over this whole process, I have been learning to trust Jesus and his leadership like never before. He is calling me to risk for His kingdom, and I have a yes in my heart. I have chosen to no longer let fear dictate what I can and cannot do. Jesus is loving the fear right out of me. Of course, fear tries to weasel its way back into my mind. Fear says you are out of your mind. You are crazy. What are people going to think about you? Who transfers to another college for their senior year because of church? But Jesus says trust me. The risk is worth it. And I think I’ll listen to Him. So, highlighting my hair, although a lot less eternally significant, was a risk. It was a step of faith. I didn’t know what would happen, but I knew it would be an adventure. Hey-o, just like my life. And for all you potential risk-takers out there, just so you know… I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on my hair. Looking pretty good, don’t ya think?