“With the clock running down, we’re gonna leave our fears and failures all behind, this is our time, we’ll reach till we touch the sky.”
"We Won’t Give Up" from the album, Light Up The Sky by The Afters

There is a small park in the town where I grew up. I used to go there all the time when I was little. I’d play on all the playground equipment until I was too tired to move, and then I’d go home and nap for a few hours. Fun times. Good memories. I was thinking about this park not too long ago. Out of all the cool toys the park had, there was always one I would NEVER go on. It was a giant rocket ship—-a ten-foot jungle gym with multiple stories and doors. It was kind of like a playhouse. Now, ten feet may not sound like a lot but, when you’re five, it might as well be the Empire State Building.

The first time I ever considered climbing on the rocket, a girl looked over at me and, with a hushed voice, said to me, “You know, I heard a little girl died trying to climb on that once. She fell.” This girl was a few years older then I was. I, being younger than ten, figured that if she was older, she probably knew what she was talking about. I was scared out of my wits, but I remember my mom and dad encouraging me to start climbing onto the rocket. The first time I tried to climb it, I think I got about four steps up before I jumped down in tears, saying something along the lines of, “I don’t want to DIE!”

When I look back on the whole thing, it makes me laugh. How silly was I to believe that girl and let her spoil my fun? I’d been looking forward to climbing on that rocket ship all day and in an instant, I suddenly wanted to go home. All it took was one word from someone who didn’t believe I could do it-—a stranger nonetheless.

Now you could say that we’ve all had experiences like that when we were kids. We probably all remember that one time when we chickened out of doing something because someone told us what could happen if we “fell off the monkey bars.” What’s interesting is that, when we think it through, we realize that those stories never end. How often do people tell us not to do something because it didn’t work out for them? Sometimes we don’t even need to ask other people’s opinion. Sometimes others just feel the need to tell you how miserably you’re going to fail, based on the experience that they had. Before long, after hearing so many warnings, we find ourselves buying into the so-called wisdom of others, not even venturing to try something new. It’s just like that rocket ship and me.

It’s amazing what fear can do to paralyze someone. It seems like fear is the doctrine of today‘s society. Fear says it’s all right to be below average because it‘s safe there. Fear tells someone the risk of failure is more than they can handle. Because of all this fear, too many people play it safe and never do anything significant with their lives. They forsake dreams and aspirations—-even their God given calling—-because they are afraid of what might happen if they take a chance.

It says in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind. This means that the Lord has not only already given us the ability to complete what He has called us to do, but He has also given us the reassurance that, with Him, we can accomplish it. Knowing all this, why do we allow ourselves to be ruled by fear?

God never called anyone to play it safe. Throughout the Bible, we read about people who didn’t let fear dictate their actions. They believed God when He said they could do it-—just like we ought to be doing today. Time is running short on earth and, if there ever were a time to be fearless, it would be NOW. I don’t want to come to the end of my life and think back on all the things I didn’t do. I want to be able to look back and say that I was like Peter, who stepped out of the boat in faith and walked on the water, knowing God would be there every step of the way.

In the new song, "We Won't Give Up," by The Afters, the lyrics say "With the clock running down, we’re gonna leave our fears and failures all behind, this is our time.” In a nutshell, that statement defines what our generation should be. It is time for us, the people of God, to STOP letting fear and failure run our lives and start living the way that He has meant for us to live. We’ve been called to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. It’s time to stop limiting God to what we can or can’t do. It’s not about what we are capable of doing; it’s about what HE is capable of doing. We need to put our confidence in that.

If you’re out there reading this, I encourage you to take a good look at your life. What is controlling you: fear or faith? You might be surprised by your answer. Take the time today to seek God about the areas of your life where you need to step out. I can promise you, whatever they may be, He will meet you there. It’s time to leave the safety zone of life and be the person who looks back and says they climbed the rocket ship and lived! You’ll be happy you did.