I came across an article that intrigued me. It is entitled, “Modern Conquerors, How Adventure Athletes Overcome Fear.” As I read the article I realized that the points they were making can be applied to all areas of our lives where we need to overcome our fears, not just adventure sports. There is one point in particular that I want to share with you from the article. This is what the article stated:

A chief reason that high-risk athletes don’t fall to fear is that they train,…Generally, people who do this stuff don’t see it as risky, because they feel like they have enough knowledge to mitigate the danger.”

How profound yet how simple, train and learn. As the athletes study and train, they gain the knowledge and the skills to overcome the challenges that they will face. They know what to do.
As I was thinking about writing this article last week another real life example blazed across the TV screen, internet and newspaper. The pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 that landed safely in the Hudson River near New York City emerged a hero. Read the following article about him and notice what prepared him.

Pilot’s life had prepared him for ‘miracle’ flight
By ERIN McCLAM

NEW YORK (AP) — Chesley Sullenberger spent practically his whole life preparing for the five-minute crucible that was US Airways Flight 1549. He got his pilot’s license at 14, was named best aviator in his class at the Air Force Academy, flew fighter jets, investigated air disasters, mastered glider flying and even studied the psychology of how cockpit crews behave in a crisis.

When the ultimate test came on a descent over the Hudson River, he spoke into the intercom only once and gave perhaps the most terrifying instruction a pilot can give — “Brace for impact” — with remarkable calm.
And as the 150 passengers of Flight 1549 marveled at their hero pilot’s skill and cool head, they learned what friends and relatives of Sullenberger say they have known all along.

“This is someone who has not just spent his life flying airplanes, but has actually dug very deeply into what makes these things work, and I think he proved it,” said Robert Bea, a civil engineer who has known Sullenberger for a year.

Notice, that he learned the skills, “studied”, “dug deeply into what makes things work.” Simply put he was prepared because he studied and trained.

We can use this truth to impress upon our TC students the importance of the Biblical truth and life skills that they are learning in the classroom. Knowledge and Practice (Application) are what will prepare them for the challenges and tests they will face in life. If they can grasp this truth hopefully they will be more eager to learn and apply.

But don’t stop the application of this truth with them. What about you and me? What do you fear? What are you intimidated by, conflict, witnessing, meeting new people, public speaking, etc.? Whatever your challenge there are books, classes, seminars, websites, and people that you can learn from. As you learn information and skills about the topic you will be better equipped to face and overcome the fear. (My wife doesn’t think the truth of this article will help her overcome her fear of snakes. I won’t push it! HA!)

We all know that admitting our fears and weaknesses to God, humbling ourselves before him, prayer and dependence on the strength of God’s Spirit are the starting point and bedrock of overcoming any issue in our life. But where do we go from there? Sure there are other things we can and should do to overcome our fears but training and knowledge are important tools in our arsenal to help us overcome.