All That Can Be Found on the Other Side of Fear

I sat there in the passenger seat of our car, with a loaf of bread in my lap. I had just baked it fresh that morning, pouring hope into every step. It was the culmination of months, if not years, worth of work. I turned to Sharif and said "I'm so nervous right now, but it is amazing what can be found on the far side of fear." It would have been so easy to just stay in the comfortable place that I had created for this bread business, but what is the fun in that. No, staying where we are comfortable does us no good, we have to grow, and expand, and face our fear head on.

That morning I walked into an adorable local shop and pitched my bread to them. Of course I brought the product, because fresh baked bread speaks for itself, and it paid off. Young. Wild. Free. Family Farm sourdough bread will now be available for purchase at The Daily Basket in Germanton, NC. Walking out of the store I was on the other side of the fear. I had conquered it and it had paid off.

This theme of "the other side of fear" has shown up in both mine and Sharif's lives in the last week. Both of us accomplished something that we had set out to do, and both of us were required to overcome a substantial amount of fear to do it. So why is there fear in doing new things?

Psychologically speaking it is because new things are potentially dangerous, but neither of us faced any real danger in the things we set out to do. I often think about why we are afraid; mostly it is prompted by explaining to my kids why they must overcome their fear. When I walked into that store I was putting my work on the line to be judged by someone else. Of course I believe my bread is good, and those around me tend to agree, but what if the person that has the power to promote it didn't agree. I had to ask myself if that would change anything or if it would just mean that I needed to pivot.

When we face something that makes us feel fear, we must remember that we are not alone there. Had I not been meant to sell bread in a store front, then that door would not have opened and I would have needed to reevaluate. The fear is just the door that we have to open, and if the opportunity is meant for us then we will be allowed to walk through the door. The more doors we are willing to open, the closer we become to the person that God designed us to be.

It's a bit funny to think that at this moment in my life, I am designed to be a baker, it is certainly not something I ever imagined for myself. Yet, there is something wonderful about stumbling upon opportunities that we never imagined would be ours, and for me, this is the beauty that is found on the other side of fear. It is everything that we never dreamed could happen, and yet, it fits so perfectly that I wonder how I couldn't have imagined it.

I have no idea what the future of my bread business holds, but I know that this is only the beginning. Perhaps I will someday own a bakery, or perhaps this is just a short and wondrous season of life, but no matter what, I intend to open every door God places in my path, because I have found, that the most glorious things in life are found on the other side of fear.