Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll let you know that I am the last person on the world to let fear get the best of me.

Most of the time.

I am the first to jump out and go first. I will navigate airports with the agility of a fish in a big lake. Weaving in and out of people like they were obstacles, rocks and other debris at the bottom of the lake.

I will be the first person to tell you I’m scared. Often. Not panicked, exactly. But scared. It’s tough to make myself move while I am feeling that fear. But I do it, have done it, and continue doing it.

Until I don’t.

Two fears that go overlooked most often are chronophobia, the fear of time passing, and euphobia, the fear of good news.

Chronophobia, for a storyteller, is putting your words into the world and hearing nothing but crickets. Or getting a thumbs up emoji. Did it resonate with anyone at all? You wonder. Is the effort really worth it? Better yet, are you good enough to keep leaning into this idea of incarnational storytelling?

Then there’s Euphobia, the fear of getting good news. For me that’s so real I panic and convince myself to not even try. What if they say yes? Sending a pitch letter to an organization with hundreds of employees, why would they pick me to tell their story? Let me show up for everyone else. But I’m not showing up for me. Not for my success. What would happen if they actually said yes?

Then I remember something I heard several years ago from a dear friend and colleague. Love God. Fear nothing.

Do not be afraid is said to appear at least 365 times in the Bible. One for each day of the year. Yet I am reminded that nothing will separate me from God’s love. If I’ve got that? What else do I need?

Isaiah 41:10 says do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God.

I stand firm on that promise, while shaking in my boots. I can be scared, put myself out there, and know it’ll be alright because God is with me.

So I’ll keep taking a chance that someone out there will read this, hear about God’s love and it will help them.

Stepping out is scary.

Not going for it?

That’s even more frightening.