During my solo trips, I was confronted with many fears. Because I pushed through them, I was able to see some very beautiful places that I would have never got to see. I realized the fact that the biggest obstacle to success is fear. We are often not where we want to be in life because of fear.
When I drove to Lassen National Park from Reno, I didn't know that the park's elevation is about 8000 ft. As a result of all the uphill roads, my little Prius only had about 1/3 tank of gas left when I entered the park through the North entrance. Realizing that the park consists of a 30-mile-long windy road from one end to another. My fear set in. Because there is no phone reception, I couldn't determine where the next gas station is and whether I will need to go back to the north gate to return to Reno. There is a small lake next to the entrance, and I sat there thinking I have a decision to make. If I give in to fear, I should just turn back now instead of going further. But I came all the way here, and I really want to see all of the park. I prayed that God helps me overcome my fears and guide me to the right decision. So I drove to the next stop, and the same fear screams out for me to turn back. I said no, and went on to the next stop. The interesting thing is that as I push through each time, it got easier to say NO to fear. When I got near the summit of Mt Lassen, the most beautiful crystal blue lake appeared. The water was crystal clear and so blue! I loved it, I have never seen that deep blue and for some reason seeing the water shimmering in the sun made me so happy. Just think that I would have missed this beautiful lake 20 min away from North entrance had I decided to turn back. I went on to see many other beautiful sights including creeks, trees, sulfur mud pool, and mountains/valleys. I was so glad I made the decision to drive through the 30 miles. When I reached the South entrance, there is Wi-Fi at the visitor center. I saw that there is a route to loop back to Susanville without going back to the North gate and there is definitely gas stations in Susanville. I breathed a sigh of relief and thank the Lord for His goodness. Looking back, I am so glad I pushed through the fears and saw all of Lassen in its glory.
Life is much like the journey to Lassen. There is always a nagging voice of fear telling me to turn back to safety. In the beginning of my solo trips, the fears were so very real and scary. False Evidence Appearing Real. FEAR. I can attest to how real the fear appears to be. My first trip was through the desert and I can see in my mind, my car breaking down or ran out of gas, the vultures circling above me. I remembered my sponsor told me "Do it scared!" I was scared to death, but I did it. When I do the very thing I feared, I got just a bit stronger. The bigger the fear was, the stronger I got when I did it scared.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. – Mark Twain
We all have fears and there are times when fear is a good thing. But most of the time, we can allow our fears to be blown up way out of proportions. Shrink it down and drive it to a small corner. Do not allow it to take over your life. Resist it and master it like Mark Twain said and you will soon become a courageous individual. Replace fear with FAITH. We are weak but we have a big God. He is bigger than all of our problems and fears. Start with a small fear and ask the Lord to help you overcome it. It takes practice! If you never try it, don't be afraid to give it a try if it is one step towards your dream. You never know if there is a place of amazing beauty right around the corner! I will share Mom's favorite verse with you. She held down to this verse through her journey of fighting cancer. She had a dream that she shared with me once. In her dream she was at Oakland Zoo walking through the lily pads in the pond. As she moved from one lily pad to another in the middle of the pond, she was afraid. This is when Jesus came and gave her this verse, and it became her favorite.
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