Today, we’re super excited and honored to have a sweet friend, Celeste Barnard with us sharing about something we all deal with… MOMMY FEARS!
Always do what you are afraid to do ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Mommy Fears. We all have them.
I wish I could put on some mommy armor that would render these fears ineffective. But they’re real- and they affect me.
Most people I meet have something that scares them or there’s something holding them back from being all that God has created them to be. The older I get, the more I realize how much these fears affect everything I do.
Fears paralyze you from moving or taking action. Fears make you think you are safe by not acting on what you, deep down, know you should do. One of the enemy’s greatest lies is to make us believe that these fears are truths in our lives.
One of my biggest mommy fears was talking to my kids about sex and everything else that goes along with that topic. I’ve had a few victories in this area. I read my daughter a book once (Gods Design for Sex by Stan & Brenna Jones). I bought her the Body Book by Nancy Rue and we went over that when she was around 11. Now she’s 14- I just knew we needed to have a much bigger talk so that we could be comfortable and keep the dialogue open of dating, purity, waiting, etc. Years. It’s been a fear for years.
The enemy had me believing I couldn’t go there. I didn’t have any of these talks with my mom growing up and so the enemy told me that somehow I was ill equipped and not enough. What happens when you have a fear and instead of stepping out and doing it anyways, you think about it and think about it and then think about it some more? Our fears become much bigger than the item at hand really is. In our minds, it becomes overwhelming.
Lie– I just don’t know how, so I won’t. I am not equipped and not enough.
Truth– With every victory, the enemy’s voice grows weaker and weaker.
My friend let me borrow her Passport2Purity CDs from Focus on the Family. I had them for a few months and put it off like the plague. My friend let me know that she would be moving soon to another state and I knew I needed to return her CDs to her.
So I took the first step. I found an inexpensive room close by (South Padre Island, TX.). Once the wheels were in motion, I knew I had to follow through. Before reading anything or listening to the CDs, I let my daughter know about my fun plans I had for us.
Unfortunately, because of my own awkwardness around the topic, my words failed me. “We’re going to have a night away at the Island and I have some curriculum we’re going to go over.” (Don’t ever say that to your teenager). Insert crickets chirping here. “Um…okay… curriculum?”
If there were ever a rewind button in life, this is about where I would have pushed it! As I sat there driving with my daughter in the back seat, I tried to redeem my social awkwardness. And the next week we went. I was prayed up and had friends praying for me- that I would be able to relax and not make it too awkward. And what a wonderful couple of days it was!
We ate out, swam, drove go-carts, played all of the CD’s and talked after each one while she filled out her journal.
I honestly could feel God’s peace over that time together. I know He was with me and blessed our time immensely.
And guess what? It wasn’t as big of a deal as I had set it up to be in my mind for… years. A huge burden was lifted because I silenced the enemy by doing it afraid. As his voice got weaker and weaker, God’s voice got louder and louder.
Do what you fear and fear disappears. ~ David Joseph Schwartz
Recently I read something, and realize it to be true more than ever. 
Do you believe that?
I’ll let you in on a little secret about my relationship with the phone. I do not like talking on the phone. I have to tell you- for someone who has friends across the US and family far off, this probably makes them think I’m pretty self-absorbed.
I’m usually not the one who calls. And I’m not proud of this. In the past, I’ve been so consumed by this that I would rehearse in my mind why I don’t talk on the phone. It would go something like this: I’ve got however many family members to catch up with. Which ones to call first? And mentally I’m preparing because it’s been so long since we’ve last talked,
I know I’ll need to update my life from the beginning. It’s the same thing with my friends. Which one to call first? And I will have to update everything I have been up to since the last time we talked. And by this time I’m so emotionally exhausted, guess what? I don’t even make the call.
Sad. I know. I realize I am running from something and every single time I choose to just pick up the phone and make the call, I am a little freer.
Marilyn Ferguson says, “Ultimately we know deeply that the other side if every fear is freedom.”
It really wasn’t as hard as I thought. And I am actually refreshed by talking to someone I care about! And I realize once again… Everything I’m running away from is in my head. I have self-preservation issues too.
Sometimes I under commit because I don’t want to wear myself out and be too tired.
I want to preserve myself… but for what? It’s like a fear of being worn out or tired. So I try to stay in my safe little bubble and in my controlled little world. And I miss out on so many opportunities to be a part of something bigger than myself. I know that truly living and honest, authentic community is found in the deep and sometimes craziness of life. Everything I’m running away from is in my head.
I wonder what our lives would look like if we looked our fears in the face and did it anyway? The talk, helping out, reaching out, inviting others over, being the first to call, changing things up with our kids when we get in a rut, sharing a struggle with a close friend, inviting that neighbor over for coffee, teaching that Bible Study, mentoring that young girl, asking your kids the hard questions, running that 5k, letting go of trying to control everything, or whatever else has a hold on you and gives you anxiety just thinking about it!
About two years ago we were going through transition and my husband asked me to pray about homeschooling our three kids and I laughed. “You’re a funny man,” I said. It was on a list I made to God called my “I Will Never” list. And for all of my children’s lives I said, “I will never homeschool.” (I can be stubborn at times when I’m afraid of something.)
I was terrified to homeschool.
This brought my mommy fears to a whole new level! Not only do I not remember much about school but what I do remember was not all that great! And I am supposed to teach my kids? But as I prayed, I felt Gods peace.
And even though I had certain fears, like, what if I mess them up, what if I don’t teach them what they need to know, what if I’m not disciplined enough, etc., I can tell you right now that in those areas where anxiety was high, God was faithful and He was and is more than enough.
Was it the right move for our family? Absolutely. God was asking me to trust Him and do it in spite of my fears. My part in it was to be obedient. Here it is, the end of another school year, and guess what?
Everything I’m running away from is in my head.
This post is not about health issues, or difficulties, or things or events that have happened or are happening that you’re struggling to walk through. I’m specifically speaking about things that we know we should do, but because of our fears or anxieties, we run from those things.
I believe it was Joyce Meyer that coined the phrase, “Do it afraid.”
Well I have come up with my own that fits my season perfectly… Do it awkward! I need stop trying to figure everything out and just do it awkward! Every time I wait until it’s perfectly figured out in my head, I usually wait too long and never actually do what I should have done! Don’t just do it afraid, but if you have to, do it awkward. The key here is to just do it. That is what makes you brave.
Listen to the Urban Dictionary’s definition of brave: To be able to look at your biggest fear and face it in the eye.
To fight fear, act. To increase fear- wait, put off, postpone. ~ David Joseph Schwartz
So what about you? Have I touched on anything that you can relate to? Think about some fears/anxieties that hold you back from fully living. Write them down and ask God to give you the strength and courage to do them anyways… He will.
Romans 8:31 (NIV) ~ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
1 John 4:4 (NLT) ~ But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
Celeste Barnard is originally from Northern California and then moved to Dallas, TX. where she received her Practical Theology Degree at Christ for the Nations. She currently resides in Brownsville, TX. She loves the outdoors, especially the beach. She enjoys sitting outside, drinking her coffee, and reading. She also enjoys cycling and running. She and her husband have been in Children’s ministry for over 15 years. They have 3 kids and a fat little pug named Latte. Celeste loves to encourage, challenge, and inspire women to be all that God has called them to be. She is very transparent in her writing and speaking. She shares about the struggles and pains of her own past in order to help others realize that we serve an awesome God who restores and redeems. He truly is who He says He is. He is a God of love, mercy, compassion, and grace. But most of all, He is a God of second chances. Celeste enjoys speaking to Mops groups, Women’s Events & Retreats, and Youth Groups. She recently self-published her first devotional, Reflections: 31 daily devotionals. To find out more about her speaking or writing, please visit- www.celestebarnard.com or follow her on Twitter- https://twitter.com/CafeMinistries
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