Falling in love and building a new life with them exciting, but it’s also a big risk to take. What if they lied about who they really are? Am I willing to give them the keys to my condo? All sorts of questions can hinder a relationship. This fear of risk is natural and scientifically proven, but it can be reversed spiritually.
In the womb, most of our organs are fully formed and functional at birth. Only one organ isn’t fully developed: the brain. It will only be fully developed between the ages of 25 and 30. The last connections to form are in the prefrontal cortex. This is where we control our impulses, the ability to imagine ourselves in the future, and where we make decisions about risk.
In short, the older we get, the harder it is to take risks. Not to mention that as we age, we have more things to lose such as real estate, cars, or investments. So it can be hard to share these with a loved one, or even to abandon them altogether, when we start a new life together. Remember we are not adding a partner to our life as it is. When we get married, we erase our single lives and start building a new one with our spouse.
The fear of taking risks can hide in many different places. For example, a long list of “must-haves” could be an unconscious way to disregard a potential match. Other people can hide their fear behind an overloaded agenda; they have no time to find a partner. Fear can even hide behind a false spirituality; they will only accept a person if God Himself rings at their door and delivers the person to them. Let’s admit it, our natural fear of taking risks is behind all the signs we ask of Heaven when judging a partner.
Fortunately, with God, we can reverse the “natural”. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” The secret to overcoming this fear is to learn to trust the Lord, and to learn to trust, we need to spend more time with Him.
Careful now, just because God tells us to “soar on wings like eagles”, that doesn’t mean we can jump into all kinds of sexual adventures. Deuteronomy 10:11-12 gives us a guideline on how to be wise in our decisions. Always respect the Majesty of God, follow what His Word tells us, love Him, and serve Him with all our hearts. God wants us to be wise, but He does not want us to be afraid of taking risks.