We all have fears, fears of the future, relationship fears, fears of getting hurt, fears of embarrassment, fears of the unknown. Fear is one of those mountains that if we don’t move it, it will move us right out of where God is taking us. I have tons of fears, but one in particular nearly derailed my future…public speaking. See as a scientist we have to be able to travel and present our work, and be good at it. Its kind of like preaching, except its science. I am terrified mainly because I have no idea how my body is going to respond in that moment when all attention is on me. One time I even cried, you can’t get much worse than that. I was standing there in a room full of students and professors, all anticipating the work I had completed during the masters program and I froze, my mind went blank and immediately I went to tears…..I was in a state of total panic. At that point I decided I was done giving seminars, meaning no Ph.D. for me. But God right…..there is always a “but God” for every circumstance. He showed me something that made me think differently about fear. He showed me that oftentimes behind our biggest fears are our biggest blessings. The blessings that require us to get out of our comfort zone, step outside that box, take a chance and trust him. You know that place where if he doesn’t show up you are totally screwed. Obviously, if I was going to fulfill the dream he had placed in my heart I would have to face this fear head on. The worst part about this fear was that you can’t face it alone or in the comfort of your closest friends, you have to do it in public, and in my case in front of intimidating professors. The time came for my first seminar as a Ph.D. student. I was terrified, but I reasoned it was only an hour of my life, and relative to my entire life span here on earth, a very insignificant detail. I went to the room an hour early to make sure everything was set up and working, with the intention of preventing my heart from racing at all cost. I was sitting in a chair relaxing, taking deep breaths, praying/begging and hoping somehow I would get through this talk without passing out and all of a sudden I look up and see my bible study teacher pass by the door. Immediately I ran into the hallway and stopped her to see what in the world she was doing there. Just so happened she had a meeting and was completely lost right outside the door where I was about to speak…..and no she was not in that building often. It was such a God moment. She prayed with me and I was filled with the peace and confidence I needed because her being there was God saying I am with you. You see when we put our faith and trust in God he will show up…some how…someway…through someone. Deut 31:6 says be strong and of good courage and do not fear, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord your God, He is the one who goes with you; He will not fail you, nor forsake you. Maybe I should highlight that last point, He will not fail you, nor forsake you. We can depend on Him, and when we get to that place where we know no matter what happens, God’s got us and he will work it out, we can’t be touched. I did make it through seminar that day, and have given many more since. I am still terrified, and every time I have to trust God to calm my nerves and keep me coherent, and every time he does. See he didn’t deliver me of my fear, but caused me to depend on Him every time I speak. So I challenge you to look at your own life, see whats holding you back and face it head on….your mountain is waiting (Dr. Seuss).