An Audience of One
The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25
For this week’s spiritual growth blog, I would like to share a few thoughts about the fear of man and having an audience of One.
First, I want to acknowledge that there are legitimate reasons for being afraid of people. Those of us who experienced relational trauma can attest to that.
The challenge becomes when we allow past experiences to determine how we live our present. Many of us find it difficult to trust others because our past experiences tell us that people are untrustworthy.
I freely admit that trusting others is not a strength for me and that not trusting others has become my default value. However, lately, I’ve noticed how much attention I pay to keeping myself safe because of my fear of man…and I am not too happy about it.
Starting my Trauma Coaching/Consulting business continues to challenge me in my healing journey every day. Sometimes, the “fear of man” wraps around my head and feet and keeps me from moving forward. Fear of being seen, Imposter Syndrome, and Perfectionism form a three-fold cord that is difficult to break free of.
I did not say it was impossible to break free…I said it was difficult to break free. It CAN be done, and I am chipping away at it…which brings me to the meditation for today:
The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25
The Fear of Man
The first part of this verse talks about the fear of man bringing a snare. Unless you hunt animals, you may be unfamiliar with the term “snare.” A snare is a trap used to capture birds or small animals. It consists of a wire or rope loop which pulls tight around the animal and prevents them from escaping.
That’s what the Bible says the “fear of man” is. It is something that pulls tight around us and prevents us from escaping and moving forward.
Learning to Trust God
I love that there is a “but” here in scripture. God provides the solution…trusting in the Lord. Easy peasy, right? Nope. Not even close…especially for those of us who have been deeply wounded by others.
Learning to trust the Lord is a slow process, but He is NEVER in a hurry. The difference between learning to trust the Lord and people is that God is 100% trustworthy. Because He never changes, that means He is ALWAYS trustworthy. We can’t say that about people.
Brene Brown talks about building trust being like adding marbles to a marble jar. Every experience of His trustworthiness adds a marble to our trust jar. Whenever we believe what He says in His Word, we add another marble to the trust jar.
What Does It Mean To Be Safe?
The last part of that verse says that “whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.” But what does that mean? I used to think that being safe meant that nothing bad would happen to me, but I discovered that my definition of safety and God’s did not align.
If we look at the definition of “safe,” we see that it means “protected from or not exposed to danger or risk.” There are similar words like shielded, sheltered, guarded, and defended.
Sometimes we go through hard things as part of life, but that doesn’t mean the Lord is not protecting, shielding, sheltering, guarding, and protecting us. He does all those things…all the time.
When my children were little, I had them vaccinated to keep them safe from illnesses that could harm them. I allowed them to suffer the short-term pain of the injection for the long-term benefit of the immunity it built in them.
I was there with them when they got the injection. I provided comfort to them. I didn’t say, “suck it up, kid; this is for your own good.” God does the same thing for us. He is there with us when we experience suffering. His presence provides comfort to us and assures us that this suffering won’t last forever.
A Personal Application
The Lord often uses the work to develop His worker, which is what He has been doing through the calling He gave me to start my own Trauma Recovery Career Coaching business.
There is a lot to learn when starting a new business, and there is a lot to learn about ourselves, as well. Even if we sign up for programs to help build our company, we sometimes focus on the people who are wildly successful at what they do and start comparing ourselves to them…leaving us feeling inadequate or like a fraud.
Imposter Syndrome has been my constant companion over the last several months. I spent so much time questioning God about whether He was sure this was what He wanted me to do and whether I was truly equipped to do it. Who was I, anyway?
I was afraid I was going to do it wrong. I was afraid I would be criticized and found unworthy. I was flat-out afraid of what others thought of me.
One day, I was listening to Jenna Kutcher’s Goal Digger Podcast, where she interviewed a wildly successful entrepreneur who happens to be a believer, and she said something that resonated with me. She said that as a believer, she only had to focus on pleasing an audience of One…God.
Wow! That hit me right between the eyes and simplified everything for me. Suddenly, I didn’t have to be like so-and-so or do the same things as this person or that person to be successful. I simply had to please the One that placed this calling on my life. I only had to focus on being the best version of myself by showing up authentically, bravely, and courageously…just like I am. I don’t have to be perfect. I don’t have to know everything. I don’t even have to be fully healed because we are all on a journey, including yours truly.
This one mindset hack alleviated the weight of pressure I was putting on myself, which was unnecessary. I’ve gained so much freedom to make decisions that align with my core values and how I want to serve my community. I am free to follow God wherever He leads me and am no longer in the trap that the “fear of man” brings. God is good ALL the time!
A Word of Encouragement
This healing journey takes a lifetime. We don’t have to be perfect. We are not always going to get it right. You don’t have to worry about the journey in the distance; you only have to focus on taking the next right step.
You don’t have to focus on being like anybody but yourself. You are exactly who He created you to be. You are loved. You are accepted. You are enough.
Before I go, I want to take a moment to share my excitement with you. I’ve been developing an online mini-course to help you Reclaim Your Power for Career Growth. I am almost done with it; you won’t want to miss it. Sign up for my mailing list to keep you informed of all the activities, courses, and resources to help you navigate your healing journey.
