3 Fears {30 Chances to Get to Know Me Series}

By Jenni, June 12, 2015

{Note: This post was originally published in December 2013 on another blog I had formerly.}

Here is post #2 in the 30 Chances to Get to Know Me list. The assignment is: describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

I’ve got to admit that I’m a little hung up on what fears would be considered “legitimate”…

I mean, if while hiking I found myself face to face with a mother bear while standing between her and her cubs, I should have legitimate fear of being mauled.

Most of our “fears” that we hold with any consistency aren’t quite so validated, though. Even if something bad legitimately happened one time, it doesn’t validate being afraid of the same thing happening every time one is in that circumstance again…and yet, though most of us know this in our heads, these are the very fears we hold on to.

And, yes, I’ve got mine, too…and such is the assignment…so here are three of my not-so-legitimate-but-often-feel-that-way fears:

1.) Fear of stinging insects, especially bees and wasps.

Yeah. I’m the girl at the picnic who will be fine one moment and the next moment I’m holding in screams while running away. Those buggers always seem to single me out. I think it’s a conspiracy. 😉 I’ve been stung a handful of times, and one of those times I showed some signs of an allergic reaction, which makes me extra fearful of future stings. Allergic or not, those little buggers that buzz around, crawl into my ponytail, dive bomb my lunch, and can so easily pierce holes in my skin just creep me out.

2.) Fear of letting down/disappointing those closest to me.

Ouch. This is one of my biggies. I suppose it became a fear in part because it was (is!) a prevalent fear among those in my childhood household, and in part because I (rightly or wrongly) took responsibility for certain loved ones leaving/rejecting me. I don’t care so unreasonably much what acquaintances or strangers think of me, though of course I do always want to strive to be a reliable and trustworthy Christian witness. It’s those closest to me that I fear letting down the most…and I tend to fear the hypothetical consequences that might result from my letting them down, however unfounded it may be to think they would do this or that. I’m working on this. Thankfully, those I love the most are those who love me for much bigger reasons than how I benefit them, and who are willing and able to show me grace when I do let them down. Because, as much as I hate it, we all disappoint people.

3.) Fear of falling

Ok, I can’t pinpoint exactly where this one came from. It started when I was young, though, and has just gotten worse over time. I think that if someone had coached me through some obstacles, I might not have developed such a fear. I remember trying to do cartwheels and being way too freaked out to allow myself to fall forward. I could somersault, but I couldn’t fling forward from a standing position. When I was eight years old I was in a bike accident while soaring downhill and broke out my top four front teeth. As puberty hit, my knees became unreliable, and there were seasons in which I fell often, especially if I was walking downhill or down steps. They’ve failed me several other times off and on since I entered adulthood. I’m pretty confident walking or hiking UPhill, slow and strenuous as it may be, but I basically slide a half step at a time downhill with great trepidation. Oh, and “Trust Falls”? Forget those! I think I refused strongly enough at camp as a teen to get out of those sort of “team building” exercises. At this point walking, biking, or otherwise moving down a steep hill makes me nervous, heights downright scare me, and potential or ‘almost’ falls give me a heart attack. I’ll just keep my feet on solid, relatively flat ground, if you don’t mind. 🙂

What do you fear? Do your fears seem silly to you, or legitimate? What would you consider to be a legitimate fear?