Sebastian Coe was one of the greatest middle-distance runners in England’s history. During his career, he set eleven world records and won gold medals in the 1,500-meter event at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics. He was favored to win the 800-meter event at the 1980 Olympics but lost to his archrival and countryman, Steve Ovett. That loss delivered fear to his heart when he faced Ovett six days later in the 1,500-race. What if he failed?

After Coe won the race, he dropped to his knees and touched his forehead on the track. He was heavily criticized for what many considered a boastful and dramatic display. But in his autobiography, Born to Run, he described the fear and then relief in winning.

When I watched that display on the replay, it was a bit embarrassing. But it was such a . . . marvelous relief. . . I was driven . . . by the fear of repeating my own failure…. What determines the limit of athletic performance is the inner conflict, the doubt about your abilities. This can be either limiting or lifting.

The fear of failure. It can be either “limiting or lifting.” If we take it on ourselves, it will be limiting. The fear of failure has the power to paralyze. Many Christians have settled for the comfort of second best for fear that they might fail. On the other hand, fear can be lifting when we place our trust in the presence of God. The psalmist says,

Psalm 56:3
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Today, you can let fear lift you by giving your fear to Jesus. Handing off our fear is not something like dropping a package off at the post office. It takes God’s power and presence, both made possible by the Holy Spirit. It is an inner commitment that says, “I can’t hand off my fear; please take it from me, and I will trust you.”

One writer tells the story of a child who went to his father’s room to sleep. In the dark, knowing his father was right there with him was enough to take away his fear. “Is your face turned toward me, Father?” he would ask. “Yes,” his father replied. “My face is turned toward you.” With that assurance the child could go to sleep.[1]

Father,
When I am afraid, I lift my fears to you and know you will drive them away. Thank you that your face is always turned toward me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

[1] John Ortberg, Soul Keeping (Zondervan, 2014), 24.