Facing Fears… and Trying Not to Throw Up

Facing fears can come in various sizes. There can be enormous fears, like getting out of toxic relationships because a fear of being alone outweighs the alternatives. And we can also be facing fears that some may consider silly, like spiders, clowns or traveling too far from home.

Yes, the latter group is silly to some, yet provoking of cold sweats and stomachs in turmoil for others. Here’s my story, how I celebrate small wins and what I learned in the process.

Facing Fears: My “Ferris Wheel”

I am sharing one of the many low points of my life in this post.

It goes back to roughly 1989 or 1990 while I attended sixth grade. A buddy and I went to the county street fair with plans to have a great time hanging with friends, maybe watching a couple of classmates get into scuffles (as was tradition), eating a lot of unhealthy food, and of course, riding rides.

We did all those things and more. Unfortunately, after riding on several fast-paced rides that spun, swooped and dropped, we got on the comparatively wimpy Ferris Wheel. That decision changed everything.

A few spins in, the deep-fried and sugary indulgences between rides began seeking revenge! I told my friend I was going to be sick. He didn’t believe me. As we passed the ride conductor, I shouted, “Stop.” He didn’t stop. The next time we passed, “Stop the ride.”

We kept spinning.

The next time around, I gave it one more hopeless cry. “I’m gonna get sick!” He didn’t stop. I fretted and, as we cleared the very top of the next round, I covered my mouth. Alas, It was no use.

I’ll spare you the gruesome details other than to confess that the contents of my stomach were no longer in my stomach!

We put off facing fears for many reasons. Those fears come in many sizes. Here’s why facing them allows you to gain small victories that can be hugely rewarding in victory.

Facing Fears: How I Limited Myself

Following that moment, my buddy and I took several quiet and darkened pathways to walk the ten or so blocks back to my house. The whole way, I was holding my shirt in an effort to not get vomit all over the rest of my clothes.

My buddy, though, was laughing the whole way and that event became an oft-repeated source of ridicule that follows me to this day. As a result, I had no desire to ride the Ferris Wheel again. I had no desire to repeat history and risk more ridicule.

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. – Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

Here I am, on the cusp of being forty-years-old and having not ridden a Ferris Wheel in more years than I care to count. For some reason, as a grown up, I had mustered the courage to immediately travel to the scene of a potentially serious auto accident I had been in within hours getting a rental car. I did that because I didn’t want to fear that roadway – I needed to remind myself that I had nothing to fear.

Yet, I still would not get on a Ferris Wheel.

Facing Fears: Riding YOUR Ferris Wheel to New Discoveries

Last week, I gave in for facing fears.

My wife, daughters and I went to the same county fair where I had blown chunks on the ferris wheel. We were there right at opening and my youngest daughter – Amelia, the one who will not back down from ANY ride – wanted to ride the ferris wheel and she wanted to ride it first thing!

Guess who rode it with her?

That’s right, me. I faced that silly phobia and seated myself with Amelia. As the only occupants, we enjoyed a stress free ride, the misting rain speckling of our faces and our hometown on display unlike any view I had seen in, perhaps ever.

We observed rooftops of commercial buildings we only see from below any other time of year. We got a bird’s-eye view of a county street fair at opening – before roadways cluttered with hundreds of other bodies.

Are you facing fears or avoiding them? In facing them, you might just gain newfound perspective, understanding and wisdom. Don’t be afraid, for God is with you. He will strengthen you and help you, holding you up with his victorious hand.

It got me to wondering: what other perspectives and views am I missing because of silly fears?

What other Ferris Wheels in my life have I been avoiding and missing messages that God has ready for a glorious unveiling?

It’s a question you might want to consider as well.

Riding a Ferris Wheel – in all practicality – is a small win. However, the mental and emotional barriers I personally created that kept me from riding one all those years are no longer present in my life.

A small win, yes.