Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 16. (day three)
“How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.”
When the king lives in fear, no one is safe. The man who lives in fear will use every ounce of energy to stave off the dread until there’s no strength left to seek the welfare of the weak and the small. Fear is the soul’s Dead Sea. Energy flows in but nothing flows out. And nothing can live in or near a life like that. No wonder Samuel kept his distance from Saul. The whole nation was increasingly at risk of descending into anarchic madness because of the ruler’s rising fear. In those dark days, Samuel braved Saul’s deadly wrath to shepherd the David’s ascension to the throne. The hard work of courage is the only answer to the influence of fear. Pray. And rise.
Human beings have the tendency to fear for everything that is uncertain, uncommon or unfamiliar. Fear can help us in the short-term because we will make us more cautious in our approaches or strategies but can be a hindrance for us to develop and to grow in the long-term as fear will keep us from taking reasonable risks for reaching targeted goals or outcomes.
There are risks in everything we do; however, in my experience, we must mitigate risks and fears so we can move forward with concrete actions and behaviors that will help us reach our goals. Fear is an emotion and it is okay but do not allow fear to take over us and drive decisions. Decisions that are based on fear will be always reactive, not proactive. Leaders with reactive decisions will drive people away from being actively engaged for the common good.
Uncertainties and complexities always make us fearful of failures. We are concerned for negative outcomes or unexpected outcomes. Samuel, in this story, exhibited fear, the same hunan trait that all of us would exhibit under a difficult, challenging situation or in an uncertain, uncontrollable environment. We surely and easily lose confidence and faith when facing a tough and challenging situation.
Just like most, I have fears of the unknowns. Fear of losing face, fear of losing a job or a position of authority, fear of losing name recognition, fear of being punished, fear of failures in achieving our goals, fear of moving to a new place, fear of losing family or friends, fear of financial crises in retirement, fear of chronic illnesses, are all common in humans because we live in an unpredictable and fast changing social and economic global environment. It takes vision and courage to play down fears and move forward with faith, determination and proactive thoughts and plan of actions. Any success in life has something to do with risk management and mitigation of fears. Successful people know how to manage risks and fears!
Jesus was a courageous leader and a visionary. He is a great example for us to follow, to live and to lead despite fears. Fears will always be present but how we choose to live our lives and to lead others despite fears truly makes a difference. Success does not come in the absence of fears but how we overcome fear in achieving our goals truly matters.
Have you been exposed to fear-driven leaders? What drove their behaviors and actions in your views? What are the characteristics of a courageous leader versus fear-driven leader? Which one do you choose to follow or to disengage?