Overcoming Fear with Faith: Getting Back on the Horse When Life Knocks You Down
I was twelve years old when a horse threw me to the ground. My little sister and I went flying, landing hard in the dirt, wind knocked out of us, tears streaming down our faces. My dad rushed over, and I expected comfort. Instead, he looked at us firmly and said, “You always have to get back on the horse.”
I remember the tremble in my hands as I climbed back into the saddle. My knees were shaking, my breath was shallow, and everything in me screamed, No more. But step by step, that horse carried me forward, and something changed inside me. I learned that courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s moving forward while your hands still shake.
That lesson didn’t end in the pasture that day. It followed me through cancer treatments, through a painful divorce, and through the days I had to show up for my daughters when I could barely stand. Every time life knocked me down, I could still hear my father’s voice—and later, the Lord’s—telling me the same thing: Get back on the horse.
Trusting God in Hard Times
God never promised us a life without fear. But He did promise His presence in the middle of it. And that presence—steady, quiet, and faithful—gives us the strength to climb back up when we don’t think we can.
Overcoming fear with faith doesn’t mean pretending you’re not afraid. It means trusting God’s voice more than your fear. It means believing that His plan for you is still good, even when everything feels uncertain.
There were seasons when I didn’t know how to move forward—when cancer, loss, and betrayal all collided at once. But every time, I found strength not in my own willpower, but in His grace. That’s the beauty of walking in faith, not fear: you realize you’re not riding alone.
Finding Strength in God When You’re Afraid
Maybe today, you’ve been thrown too. Maybe it feels safer to stay down, to catch your breath, to protect yourself from getting hurt again. I understand that. But I also know this: you were made to rise.
God’s strength shows up in our weakest moments. When you trust Him with your fear, He gives you the courage to take one small step forward—even if your knees are shaking.
Every time you choose faith over fear, courage over comfort, you become a little stronger. You begin rebuilding your confidence in Christ, one step at a time. And before you know it, you’ll look back and realize—you didn’t just survive the fall. You learned how to ride again.
