Facing Fear in the New Year
“Mom, I want a RED bicycle.”
For Christmas, our 3 year old son, Oliver, had a very short wish list. If you asked him what he wanted, the automatic response was a “red bicycle and a blue helmet.” Nothing else.
He was so excited to get one that he began asking my husband for one every day when he got home from work: “Dada, I want a red bicycle,” expecting it to be revealed as soon as Dada walked through the door.
We tried to explain as patiently (and repetitively) as any toddler parent can that we would have to wait until Christmas Day for a red bicycle; that’s when we normally give and receive presents.
“I don’t wanna wait until Christmas Day,” was usually the response we received. It was hard for us as parents to wait, too, as we had already saved for and purchased said bicycle months before and had it hidden away, waiting for the day we could reveal it.
When that day finally came, we had the perfect plan: hide the bicycle and helmet until the very last moment so other presents could be opened first. We could tell Ollie was looking for the bicycle. He kept wanting to open presents when boxes were opened to reveal a gift that wasn’t a red bike.
Finally the big moment arrived. You’ve never seen a little boy jump out of a chair so fast shouting, “I want it!” THE red bicycle was his at last.
Of course, the first course of action was to try it out. He excitedly swung his leg over, his blue helmet secured to his head for the falls I was expecting to happen, his little, round face beaming with pride.
That look soon turned into fear as Ollie began trying to handle his new gift. In our attempt to be forward thinking parents, we had gotten a balance bicycle. After researching what kind of bike to get, all of the experts and many parents had praised this type of bicycle as being the best to teach young kids how to eventually ride a normal bicycle, as balance is one of the biggest hurdles when learning to ride a bike.
However, the only bike Ollie had ridden up to this point was more in line with a tricycle. It was easy for him to ride the old one. It was stable and secure. This new one? Not so much.
In the days that followed, Oliver barely wanted to ride his much asked for red bicycle. No matter how much we tried to encourage him, the fear would always win out. The fear of falling. The fear of unsteadiness. The fear of the newness.
I began to think about how we are like Oliver sometimes. As humans, we constantly long for newness. We pray that God would give us new things all the time: a new job, house, friends, relationship, etc. Or maybe we ask for more spiritual things: a deeper walk with God, new doors to be opened, strongholds to fall, or ministries to be born.
We know that God hears us and will answer those prayers when we don’t ask amiss. We quote Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. We know He places dreams, desires, callings, and burdens in our hearts. So we long and pray for Him to fulfill that new and next big chapter in our lives.
But when God does eventually answer those prayers, how many times do we allow fear to keep us from accepting His answers?
We pray that God would bring us closer to Him but push away the trial that would answer that prayer.
We pray He would give us new relationships but turn away the people He sends because they don’t fit the image of friend or partner we’ve created in our heads.
We pray that He would open doors but turn down opportunities that don’t match the criteria we imagined for ourselves.
In essence, we fail to get on that new, red bicycle. It’s everything we’ve asked for, yet nothing we expected, and that can cripple our progress. Unless we face the fear of the new and the unknown, the cycle (no pun intended) will continue.
The phrase “do not be afraid” is written 365 times in the Bible. That’s a daily reminder from God to live every day being fearless. - Author unknown
The first step to overcoming fear is to recognize it. This year, try reading a new Scripture each day that addresses fear. It will be a daily reminder that, while fear is an unescapable part of our reality, we have a God who is bigger than our fear and is right by our side to help us walk through it. Because the second step to overcoming fear? Choosing to do that thing that terrorizes you anyway.
So whatever newness 2025 is bringing you —a new job, marriage, motherhood, a new health routine or a major life change—don’t let fear stop you from accepting what God has for you. Put on your blue helmet and get back on that shiny, new red bicycle. Before you know it, you’ll be soaring.
“I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the LORD your God, am with you in all you do.” - Joshua 1:9
