Stop Doubting and Start Doing Part 1

Dreams come at a cost. The price we pay is up to us. There is a cost to doubting our dreams will come to pass and losing faith.

Without faith and believing in doubt, we stop doing the small steps to catching our dreams, not just chasing them. When we believe the lies, rather than the truth, we stop the amazing work God has called us to do. Proverbs 13:12 (NIV), says “Hope deferred makes the heart sick but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

What happens when we defer our Dream? Our hearts become sick. The heart is the Wellspring of Life. Proverbs 4:23 (NLT), says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Our heart is essential to life, relationships and to pursuing our dreams. If our hearts are in a figurative life support and we’ve stopped doing anything towards refining our dreams or taking steps to pursue them, we are making ourselves sick – sometimes physically and sometimes emotionally.

So how do we stop doubting and start doing?

The next four weeks we are going to talk about getting through being doubtful and getting into action. Those steps are: Getting into Motion, Getting Support, Do the Tough Stuff First, and Release Results.

Getting Into Motion:
We all have fear. This is hardly a news flash, but the best way to combat fear and doubt is to get moving. Think about a situation where you had fear and did it anyways. For me, this took place almost every time I pulled a shift at the fire station. Those who don’t know, I used to be a firefighter. It’s how I met my current husband and the story of overcoming my doubt is actually the day I met my husband.

I had been with the fire district for three weeks when I called up on a Saturday morning to see if anyone could train me. A firefighter couldn’t run calls until they had completed their Probie Task Book. Essentially, by completing the task book, it shows that you know enough not to get yourself or those around you hurt or killed.

The lieutenant who answered the phone said, “Sure, we’re doing flashover training, I’m sure you’re ready for it.”

I hung up the phone not at all sure what flashover training entailed, but I was game for anything to get my Probie Shield so I could start running calls with the rest of the crew. There are hours of training that must be completed before you earn a seat on the truck.

Normally the flashover training comes later, but it’s not something they did often because of the resources it takes to make the training happen. So this Lieutenant had the opportunity and decided to throw me in the fire.

Literally.

I got geared up and the Lieutenant checked over my gear before he put me in the metal shipping container they were planning to set on fire with us in it. Now, as cool as this sounds, this exercise serves two purposes.

First, to see if you can take the heat. Some of the guys in my training class had one go in the flashover chamber and quit on the spot.

The second, if you can you see the signs fire gives off before it flashes over. A flashover is almost always of death sentence so it’s important to see the signs.

On this day, after my gear check, I knocked my regulator off my mask as I walked into the metal box. Getting a regulator connected while wearing stucture gloves isn’t the easiest task. The fear must have shown on my in my eyes because this nice Lieutenant, helped me re-attach my compressed air and asked me if I’d like him to come in with me. My regulator nearly came off my mask again with how vigorously I was bobbing my head up and down in the affirmative.

Not only did I make it through the flashover chamber, but when I took off my mask, I had a huge smile on my face when I walked out. I had known my fear and did the task anyway because my end goal required me to go through the process.

Another firefighter saw my smile and said, “Looks like we have another lifer.” While injuries have currently sidelined my firefighting duties, I still remember the feeling of overcoming my fear.

Are there tasks on the way to your dream that need to be done and fear is keeping you from them?

Share it in the comments below so we can encourage you.