“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” II Timothy 1:7
If God didn’t give us a spirit of fear and timidity, then where did I get it? I lived from a place of fear and timidity all my life. I feared and was timid in most social situations. I always feared I wasn’t “cool enough” or good enough at whatever the situation called for. I always feared my clothes and hair were all wrong, so that made me timid. I always wanted to hang around the edges and listen to everyone else. It’s a good thing I had my teaching career. My classroom was the only place I was not timid or fearful. Once I got involved with the children, neither one existed. Even at home there was the fear of not enough money, or a clean enough house, or well-behaved children,with clean clothes and homework done. If God doesn’t give this to us, then we must get it from the pressures life puts on us, stemming from that innate desire to please.
So….how do we get to that place of power, love, and self-discipline? Do we simply decide it? Do we just do it by thinking it? Do we cross over into it somehow? In some instances I think you have to have nothing else to lose so there’s no fear to face or any more reason to be timid. Once we realized we have arrived at this place, we stop running. When we stop running, we allow ourselves to be taught. We begin to use the power God has meant for us to make positive changes in our lives. We begin to not only love those close to us better, but we begin to come from a place of love in all we do. We use the self-discipline bestowed on us to stick to decisions we make and keep in sight values we hold in high esteem.
I remember when children would come up to me on the playground and say, “So n so’s chasing me!” My answer was always, “Stop running.” Once again, simple answers to complex questions. As I stop striving to be perfect and stop trying to prove myself, the fear and timidity seem to subside. I crossover into the place of power, love, and self discipline when I finally stop chasing my tail.
And so, as another day goes by, I walk under the rays of the power, love, and self-discipline given to me by God, and …I have written.
Self-discipline is one of many personal development tools available to you. Of course it is not a panacea. Nevertheless, the problems which self-discipline can solve are important, and while there are other ways to solve these problems, self-discipline absolutely shreds them.