BY ASHLEY RHUDE

Waking up in a plush, king bed with a cozy, down comforter wrapped around me isn’t quite the same as waking up on a cot with a rag-like blanket. Putting my toes into my fuzzy, warm slippers and following the smell of fresh-brewed coffee to the kitchen is a far cry from placing bare feet on a cold slab of concrete while grabbing onto the bars of a prison cell hoping a tray of mush will come soon to fill an empty stomach.

Far from living in a building of bars and punishment, we all struggle with items that “imprison” us on a daily basis. There is some sort of fear that creeps into our lives through that small, but oh so very powerful “hisssssssssssssssss” of the devil whispering in our ears. He tells us we are unworthy. He tells us we are poor. He tells us we will fail. He tells us we aren’t good enough at our jobs. He tells us that the other moms are better. He tells us that we’ll never be able to provide for our family like the father who is a CEO and lives next door.

“Hissssssssssssss.” Do you hear it? What has it told you? What fear has crept into your life today?

He makes us worry over fears that we won’t be liked by other people. He makes us fear that a decision we made might be interpreted the wrong way even though we really meant to do right in our heart. He makes us measure our beauty by comparing ourselves to the photo shopped and trophy worthy models that look boldly into our eyes from the magazine rack they reside on whispering, “You slob – you’ll never look this good.”

I’m reading Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook) right now and though it’s a book on women in the workplace and leadership, I’ve taken a quote from it and posted it on my mirror at home. It reminds me to pray each day to stand strong when I feel the pull of fears creeping into my life.

“Fear is at the root of so many of the barriers that women face. Fear of not being liked. Fear of making the wrong choice. Fear of drawing negative attention. Fear of overreaching. Fear of being judged. Fear of failure. And the holy trinity of fear: the fear of being a bad mother/wife/daughter. So please ask yourself: What would I do if I weren’t afraid? And then go do it.”

Though a secular book and far from promoting the values of faith and a relationship with Christ, she absolutely nails it with fear getting in the way of what we were made to be doing in life – not just for women either! Friends, our days are numbered and our abilities that God has gifted us with are far too great to spend one more minute imprisoned by fear.  Ask God to free you from measuring yourself against others and worrying that you don’t have what it takes. You are adequate. You are loved. You are appreciated. You make a difference. You have the opportunity to bless other people today.  Don’t let Satan’s “hissssssssssssssssssssssssssssss” break through the silent, vulnerable moments of your life.

What would you do today if you were not afraid?

The Tuesday Spiritual Column is entirely the opinion of this week’s writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Northview Church as a whole.