Five Minute Friday: Steady

Writing for five unedited minutes on the prompt “Steady” for Five Minute Friday.

After school in my childhood, my sister and I stayed with the “S” family after school. My sister and the youngest boy of the family loved to play in the open field behind the house, while I usually stayed inside and read books. But they begged me to come play with them. The problem was, I had to climb over a gate to get to the field.

The gate was locked by the field’s owner, so we couldn’t swing it open. If you wanted to cross, you had to climb over. And I couldn’t do it.

Those two weren’t terrified of heights like me. They scrambled right over. They even tried to lift me over, but I always panicked and gave up. I was afraid of failure, worried about getting hurt, and embarrassed about my inability in front of two younger kids. So I missed out on fellowship and fun again and again due to my fear of heights.

I still have an extreme fear of heights. I can’t climb three rungs up a ladder without breaking into a full-body sweat. But I had to laugh when I read this verse a few years ago:

With my God I can scale a wall. Psalm 18:29 NIV

As a child I was often paralyzed by fear. Taking risks, whether literal or figurative, caused major panic. I felt unsteady and unsure, because I focused only on my limited ability to accomplish goals.

As my faith grew, my footing became steady. I began scaling emotional and spiritual walls with greater confidence. Me–the one who couldn’t climb a farm fence–scaling even bigger and scarier invisible walls!

I’m still not attempting to climb over real gates, and I try not to step on ladders unless absolutely necessary. But I’m no longer paralyzed by fear in my spirit and emotions. I’m relying on God to give me power to scale the invisible walls I face. He will keep me steady while I’m climbing.

Questions for reflection:

Do you have a fear of heights? How has it affected your life?

How has God empowered you to scale invisible walls with his help?

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