In January, my Company introduced our 2017 incentive - Vacation Like a Boss to the Bahamas. It was prayer-answered moment because at the Crossover service on the 31st of December, 2016, I had asked God to give me the chance to travel to any of the Caribbean Islands this year. I jumped at the chance and worked for it.
Closer to travel time, some of my friends started sharing what they would do at the Atlantis, Bahamas. Brenda in particular wanted to do snorkeling as she shared on her Social Media page. I responded that, yes, I wanted to hang out with her but to count me out of anything in the water. I explained why. Instead of being an enabler, she asked me to trust her, and let her help me out and I would be able to do anything and everything through faith. Well, I raised my 'nose' at her message, thinking she has no clue, how deep my fear is. At the same time, I secretly purchased a swim suit for the first time EVER!
So, we got to the Bahamas and I started with simple activities. I then went to the beach with a few friends with the hope of just sitting on the sands and have my fun there. I gradually worked my way into the edge of the ocean and had my little fun. Yay!!
The following day, I followed a few more friends to the beach and this time, my good friend Georgiana and another friend took me a little deeper into the water. They calmly and gently showed me how to at least be inside the water and let the wave carries me. Wow! The Lord Jesus was right there that when I looked up, I thought I saw Him and John baptizing Jesus in the river. It was surreal. ......But the best is yet to come!
We then went to the rides and slides that after some prayers, and trusting my friends again, I was able to do all of them, some even twice. Lord, you are great!
My friends, the great Lord was not done with me yet. The best of the best was yet to come! I now joined my Brenda, Sonya and Dionna for what will become the epic of my breakthrough. Remember, Brenda had asked me to trust her even before we left. Well, I was given the grace to doing just that and two more awesome ladies in Dionna and Sonya. We went back to the Park and did even more rides, rode on the raft and my God, I did all of those with them. Towards the end of endless hours on the water, we moved to the biggest test of my faith and trust in them. They taught me how to float and snorkeling. I was able to float face up and face down and did my longest in 39 seconds!!! The chain is broken! He has given me victory! I am thanking the Lord and my friends. I will never, ever forget all of them They will always be my warriors.
What is Fear? The dictionary calls it - "an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat." Fear can lead us to hide, to run or to freeze. I have been frozen for decades.
So, what are your afraid of? What has been holding you back? A friend commented by saying did I see what fun fear had kept away from me? Yes, indeed. We all have one fear or the other. But we can conquer them, if one at a time. Even the Bible mentions two specific types of fear. The first type is beneficial and is to be encouraged(Fear of the Lord - Psalms 111:10). The second type is a detriment and is to be overcome(the spirit of fear - 2 Timothy 1:7) The Lord did not give us the spirit of fear........
"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You mush do the thing which you think you cannot do" - Eleanor Roosevelt
If I did not make it to the Bahamas, I would still be in bondage.
