Fighting Fear and Winning

My daughter has been going through that stage where it seems like she’s losing a tooth every other week. You know how it goes—wiggling it with her tongue, showing it off with pride, and then waiting for it to finally come out.

But this last tooth was different. It was barely hanging on, just one good tug away from freedom, but she wasn’t ready to pull it. She wanted to hold onto it a little longer, and I didn’t push it.

That same night, she had a karate competition she’d been talking about all day. She was excited, bouncing around the house, practicing her moves. But when it came time to get ready, fear crept in. Her mind started racing: What if someone knocks my tooth out? What if I swallow it? Suddenly, the excitement was gone, and tears came flooding in.

Faith Over Fear

I watched her cry for about ten minutes, refusing to go. Fear had settled in, and it was winning. But my husband and I weren’t about to let that happen. We reminded her that fear is just as much a choice as faith. I told her, “Those things are in your mind—you can either think the worst or think the best. It’s up to you.”

It wasn’t easy. She didn’t just get up and walk to the car. We had to scoop her up, encourage her, cheer her on, and literally carry her out the door. But by the time she got to class, those tears were gone. That fear? It had faded away.

And you know what? She won. Not only did she win her competition, but she did better than ever before. And the tooth? It stayed right in place.

The Real Fight

That night, as she lay in bed, she reached up, wiggled her tooth, and it came right out. She laughed—like really laughed. All that fear, all those tears, and the thing she was worried about most never even happened.

It made me think about how many times we do the same thing. We let fear creep in, whispering all the what ifs in our ear until we don’t even want to try. But what if we pushed through anyway? What if we chose faith over fear, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed?

2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us: “For GOD has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Maybe you’re facing something right now that’s got you second-guessing. Maybe fear is whispering in your ear, making you think of all the things that could go wrong. But what if you showed up anyway? What if you put on your shoes, stepped out in faith, and just believed that GOD would handle the rest?

My daughter’s victory that night wasn’t just about karate; it was about conquering fear. And if she can do it at six, you can do it too.

Push through the fear. Show up. Trust GOD. And watch what happens.