AFRAID TO SUCCEED?

I am a 49er fan and all year I have been surprised and supercharged by their 13-3 record and their entrance into the playoffs for the first time in ten years!  Perhaps by the time you read this blog they will have made their debut and succeeded...or failed...but they will have accomplished somethings noteworthy given the preseason prognostications of the football experts this year.

As they prepare for their game Saturday I am afraid for them.  They are facing a frightening opponent that has won eight games in a row--convincingly--and they are veterans of the playoff scene.  In fact, I confess, I am nervous about even watching the game, a subject of interesting commentary from the rest of my family!  What am I afraid of?  That they will lose? Perhaps.  That they will win...?  Yes, that they might win, move to the next level, and lose...or win...and move all the way to the Super Bowl! And then...lose...or, win?!?

Crazy, huh?

And yet. much of our life is characterized by such thinking.  If I move forward...and fail...then what?  If I move forward and succeed...what, then, will be expected of me?  Will I have to work harder?  Will the stakes be higher?  Will the possibility of failure increase exponentially? Maybe it's just safer to stay where I'm at.

Safe, semi-secure...and miserable!

I've stepped out into a new venture this year with no guarantees.  Last week I was invited to appear on a small local television station to be interviewed about this venture.  I hesitated--what if I develop a larger base of respondents,  greater than I am equipped to handle?  Then what will I do? I was afraid.

But I went on television, answered all the questions fearlessly, and thanked God for the opportunity He provided to help me move forward in the new venture upon which, I believe, He is placing His blessing. By the way,  I did not solicit the television interview...they called me!  Divine orchestration?

Don't be afraid...at least, don't let yourself succumb to your fears.  Being careful and cautious does not equal fear.  But not walking through open doors of opportunity could prevent you from enjoying the fulfillment God has in mind for you.

The 49ers may not win Saturday.  But they have an opportunity for the first time in ten years to play football in January!  I hope they win...but even if they don't, it will have been a  successful year for a 6-10 team last year that went 13-3 this year because they believed they could achieve their goals despite the odds stacked against them.

Go 49ers!