Felicia Carter

Chances are, you have a memory of something you were dared to do that probably wasn’t very smart. 

Maybe it was a dare to jump off a cliff into shallow water in the dark, or to sneak onto the roof of the neighbor’s house. 

I found myself in this position often and to be honest, my answer more often than not was “YES!” Why? Because I’m an Enneagram 3 and we will always rise to the challenge out of our desperate need to impress the people around us with our performances. 

When I was a kid, there was a TV show and one of the recent episodes had a scene where a bunch of high school kids had been dared to walk over hot coals. I don’t remember the show, or the reason for this scene. I just remember my friends thought it would be a great idea to re-enact it. I took my shoes and socks off. I was ready to make this thing happen and be the hero of my friend group. 

(Side note: If you feel you need to do stupid things to impress your friends so they will like you, find new friends.)

As the coals heated up and I saw the red ember around the coals, I heard a little whisper of logic in my head. And then as I started to put my left foot into the first step, it hurt enough for me to decide maybe this wasn’t a good challenge to “rise” to. 

It’s a good thing logic won that night because that probably would have burned my feet really bad, and there was no real purpose to walking across fire. 

A friend of mine asked me a question a few months ago that has kept me awake at night more times than I can count.

“Do you love people enough that you are willing to be put in the fire for them?”

He was referring to the dream God has placed on my heart. The one to help people find confidence in who they are as children of God so they can be all He has created and called them to be. 

Like when I was an overly-confident 15-year-old idiot, my answer is a quick and confident,

“YES!”

But then as I get closer to the fire and the soles of my feet start to feel the heat, I start to listen to logic again. 

As I begin to get disappointed or feel the burn of haters or see the effects of failure, it’s easy to convince myself that stepping into the fire is a bad idea. I start to listen to the voice of reason. The voice that tells me I can help people some other way. I can honor God and love His people, no matter what I do with my days. That I should play it safe.

But see, that’s not the deal God made with me. He said, “Get in the fire if you really want to help people.” 

Making a decision to get in the fire is asking for the heat. It’s going to hurt. It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be uncomfortable. 

But you know what will happen every single time you and I choose to get in the fire to fulfill what God has for us? We will get stronger. Our stories will get better. The ways in which we can help people will become brighter. 

The fire is absolutely worth it. I don’t want to do God’s plan for my life any other way, especially not the logical one that makes sense. That’s not God’s way.

So I think it’s time I stop losing sleep over my friend’s question. I’m running right into the fire. 

Do you really want to help people?

Do you want to help people badly enough that you’re willing to get in the fire for them?

Because you will. God will use that fire to refine you and mold you into the version of you He will use to help the people you’re meant to serve. 

And every time you start to lose faith and try to get out of the fire before it’s your time, it will be all that much more painful to step back into the fire. It’s better if we choose to walk into the flames with confidence and the resolve that we’re going to stay there for the duration.

I talked earlier this week about how being in the fire with Jesus is the safest place for you to be.  Check that post out here. 

If getting into the fire for you means getting started (again) on a writing project, join me Monday (July 22) for Winning at Writing Projects: A 7-day email course for writers.

We will cover big ideas, practical steps and lots more. No matter where you are in your process, I guarantee there will be something for you to learn to get you a few steps from where you are. 

It’s completely free but it will never be free again so don’t miss out on this opportunity. Sign up TODAY. 

What you will get:

• An email from me everyday next week (July 22-29) with ideas on writing, including practical steps to move along in your process and things I actually do in my own writing process. 
• Access to a private Facebook community where we can all learn from and encourage one another through the week and beyond. 
• One-on-one access with me if you have specific questions or need help getting unstuck on your personal projects. 
• An invitation to give me constructive feedback at the end of the course so I can continually enhance this course for others after you.

Registration ends in 24 hours on July 21 at 11:59 CST, and the first email goes out on Monday. I’ll see you there!

Day 14 of 730. 716 blog posts to go!