Does any of this sound familiar ?
Here ’ s the tricky part , though : My fears fueled a focus and work ethic that bore impressive results . In my early days as a senior pastor , I obsessed over church health strategies and indicators every minute I was awake — and much of the time I was asleep too . ( Talk about nightmares !) I hit the ground running every day and then led some kind of meeting , service , or training nearly every night of the week , only to return home and work into the early hours of the morning . Even when I wasn ’ t officially on the clock , I found it terribly difficult to relax . This was especially true on Saturday nights . I ’ d toss and turn all night , consciously and unconsciously working through every sentence of my message , trying to make it perfect before go time on Sunday morning .
Want to know what happened ? All that work paid off . The community that would eventually become Union Church began to grow , first from 50 to 100 , then from 150 to 300 .
But that wasn ’ t all . The faster and farther I ran on fear , the more isolated and depressed I became . Even though I was making measurable progress toward my vision of greatness , I was completely unable to celebrate successes with friends and family . Early signs of stress-related health problems started to frantically wave red flags .
I was the five-thousand-or ten-thousandmeter distance runner who comes out of the blocks at top speed , pulls a hamstring before the first turn , burns all his energy on the part of the race that matters least , and has nothing left in the tank when he needs it most .
Don ’ t let this be you .
If I had continued filling my tank with fear , my road trip toward greatness would have fizzled out before it got interesting . I was on the fast track to self-destruction . Why ? Because the fuel of fear rockets us full speed past sustainable limits and healthy boundaries .
All through college , I drove what I call “ character-building cars .” They built character because they gave me ample opportunity to grow in patience and fortitude while waiting on a tow truck by the side of the road . This happened at least once a month . My character got built . A lot . I ’ m embarrassed to admit how old I was before I drove a car without a warning permanently lit on the dash . I ’ d burst out laughing every time a friend jumped into the car and exclaimed , “ Dude , did you know your check-engine light is on ?
“ Yes ,” I ’ d say . “ It never turns off . I don ’ t even see it anymore .”
I repeat : Don ’ t let this be you . In order to go the distance , you ’ ve got to actually pay attention to gauges that warn you when you ’ re in the red .
When it ’ s difficult or even impossible to build or maintain close relationships ? Warning light . When you can ’ t seem to find enough time to care for your physical , spiritual , mental , and emotional health ? Warning light . When you consider crossing moral or legal boundaries to make more progress ? Big , flashy red warning light .
Here ’ s a key indicator that fear is your 13