“But now, this is what the Lord says- he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)

Living a Fearless Life

March Madness is always filled with upsets and Cinderella stories, but this year’s NCAA Tournament gave us something extra special. For the first time in the history of the men’s tournament, a 16 seed defeated a 1 seed. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers knocked of the Virginia Cavaliers in convincing fashion, coasting to a 74-54 win. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gave the Retrievers a 1.5 percent chance to win, but they didn’t let that discourage them one bit. Despite all the odds being stacked against them, UMBC’s players and coaches had absolutely no fear.

We can all learn something from the way UMBC approached this game. It’s very easy to allow fear to take control of our lives and dictate our actions. While it’s natural to be scared, a major problem arises when our fear sits on the throne of our life where God should be. In everything we do and say, glorifying and serving God needs to be our central focus.

The first step to making sure God is always on the throne is trusting Him completely. If we truly believe that God is for us, we have absolutely nothing to be afraid of! Fear can only have power over us if we allow it to. If we put our hope in Christ instead, we can find peace knowing God is in control. The Retrievers didn’t let fear get in their way and neither should we!

– Joshua Doering

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