Just Go for It: Choosing Faith When Fear Begins to Overwhelm Your Life

By Caleb Anderson

Are You Living By Faith?
Or Are You Living By Fear?

2020 was a year that the history books would never forget. Starting the beginning of a worldwide pandemic, a year of uncertainty, and a shadow of doubt across the United States. And while fear is a powerful emotion that can often control our lives, whenever we have faith in a God Who is bigger than our fears, we can live above our feelings and stay grounded in His truth.

In this relatable book, eighteen-year-old Caleb Anderson passionately shares his experience of uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic. Learning not to look within himself, but to God when fear, doubt, and insecurity begin to overwhelm your life. Choosing faith every day, in big and little decisions.

Caleb shares his main message in this book: to choose faith daily, whether that means going for a dream, a desire, or a vision that God lays on your heart. Through each page, unpack any fear that may stop you from doing this. He also features Biblical stories, lessons, and personal testimonies from people who have inspired him and who have been forced to choose faith in scary situations in their own life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664283206

Caleb Anderson

Caleb Anderson is a twenty-year old college student-athlete from Batesville, Arkansas. He graduated from Batesville High School, where he was an avid leader of Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Arkansas and his community. He currently plays college basketball for the Williams Baptist University Eagles where he is pursuing a degree in Business and Christian Ministries.

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Copyright © 2022 Caleb Anderson.

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make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book

and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-8321-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8322-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8320-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022920653

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/15/2022

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International

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Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English

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Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living

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Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale

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Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®,

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Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard

Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, by The Lockman Foundation.

Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996,

2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version® Copyright © 1982

by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Taken from the HOLY BIBLE: EASY-TO-READ VERSION ©

2014 by Bible League International. Used by permission.

To the two biggest blessings in my life:

Jesus, because of what You’ve done for

me, I know

that I always have something to go for.

My family. There’s no way I’d be able to choose faith without

being inspired by your love for God and love for others. I

love the Anderson, Parker, Shields, and Wiles, families!

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1     Lost

Chapter 2     Why On Earth Am I Here?

Chapter 3     Jump

Chapter 4     No More Comparison

Chapter 5     Who Said Anything About Being Alone?

Chapter 6     Throw Off The Weight

Chapter 7     A Life Of Significance

Chapter 8     What Makes God Smile?

Chapter 9     A Love That Lasts

Acknowledgments

Notes

1 John 4:18: "There is no fear in love, but

perfect love casts out fear" (ESV)

This means that love can solve a lot of problems.

Introduction

Everyone has a story. Yet, no matter what our story may look like, sometimes we wonder why we’re here. Now, according to the world, here are life’s two greatest questions when trying to discern what your purpose in life is:

Who am I? And why am I here?

At times I’ve struggled with these questions. And maybe you have too.

During my senior year in high school, the entire world shut down —a worldwide pandemic. In a matter of a few days, I was overwhelmed by anxiety, fear, and doubt. My personal life wasn’t going in the direction I’d planned or hoped for. And whenever it felt least convenient, everything was taken away from me—my family, friends, school, sports, people. Life felt purposeless and meaningless. And at times, so did I. But it was in those moments of darkness and hopelessness that I discovered that circumstances, trials, or tribulations don’t dictate God’s purpose and plan for my life. And His love for me is far greater than any fear that could ever look me in the face. His love is greater than any fear that’s also looking you in the face.

I wrote this book for two reasons. For starters, I wrote it for the people who, much like me, have felt like they don’t know what the next step of their life looks like. Like they don’t know what to go for. And they’re scared because of it. Maybe that’s you. Or maybe, it goes even deeper than that. Maybe, at times, you’ve felt like you have nothing to go for. Like you don’t matter, or that you have no purpose, or you’re trying to discover why you’re on this earth. Nothing is ever enough. You’re looking for something but can’t find it. And you’re trying to find something to hold onto. I want to encourage you.

This is not a self-help book. Many people try to find their purpose and identity by looking within themselves, giving them a continuous search for fulfillment that they never find. We know that each of us is here for a purpose, made unique by the fact that God has created each of us in His image. For His purpose. For His plan. I can know this by living out what the earliest church missionary Paul wrote out in Colossians 1:16: For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels, everything got started in him and finds it’s purpose in him (MSG).

The second reason I wrote this book is for the people who know exactly what to go for, whether that’s a dream, a vision, or a desire God has placed on their hearts, but they’re just too scared to step out on faith and go for it. Whether you want to be the first person in your family to graduate college, you have a dream of writing your own book, or you want to start a business- with God by your side, anything is possible. And I’m hoping by the time you put this book down, you believe that with your whole heart!

Although I show glimpses of some of the scariest moments of my life in this book, this book is not about me. And honestly? It’s not about the pandemic. It’s about inspiring you to hold onto God’s promises and His love for your life, even when it feels like He’s quiet or not there. It’s about not allowing fear to dictate you or your decisions. It’s about choosing faith and love over fear and doubt every day.

Whatever you’re struggling with right now — and we all are struggling with something— I want to encourage you that God has a special purpose and plan for your life, which means that you don’t have to allow fear to control your life. If you’ve ever felt stuck in a cycle of fear or doubt, I pray that this book can open your eyes to the fact that God is bigger than whatever giants you face each day. And that’s what you can expect to find in this book.

Each chapter in this book is about handing a particular fear that may control your life over to God. Choosing to be brave enough to listen to whatever nudge He gives you daily, and choosing to put your trust in Him. The first six chapters are about more personal struggles. I’ll be sharing with you the lessons I learned throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and how I learned to stay grounded in my faith when fear began to overwhelm my personal life. Like being scared of what others will think about you if you decide to take a leap of faith. Fearing failure, or feeling like you’ll never be good enough for others. Being scared to reach out to your friends when you need them, and allowing your past or mistakes to control you, keeping you weighed down from moving forward.

The last three chapters are about moving forward and allowing God to use your life each day, being open to whatever He has in mind for you to go for that day. Like living with open hands, using your gifts, skills, and talents to glorify God wherever He’s placed you, and impacting those around you by how you live your life each day for Jesus.

I’m also super excited to share the stories of some of the most amazing friends and role models who have shown me what it means to live by faith. From organizations like Fellowship of Christian Athletes, to 747, to the regular people in my day-to-day life, I am so thankful for the people that God has placed in my life!

Look, whatever you’re struggling with right now — whether you’re in a financial rut, you’re scared of how uncertain the next step of your life looks like, or you’re feeling hopeless — you do not have to allow those feelings to control your life. My biggest prayer is that this book can give you hope that God hasn’t left you, and He’s capable of helping you face whatever giants overwhelm you each day. And while this book may not be able to give you step-by-step instructions on how to conquer your biggest fears in life, I can promise you that it can provide you with God’s Truth.

Throughout the Bible, God’s Word says, Do not be afraid 365 times. Coincidence? I don’t think so! It’s God’s reminder each day for us that anything and everything is possible with Him by our side. In Psalm 23:4, the great King David said it better than I could: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me (ESV).

When your faith is in a God who crushes giants, rescues His people from lions, and changes sinner’s hearts in a matter of seconds, you don’t have to let fear or doubt control your life. You can be confident that you serve a big God who specializes in making miracles happen. Whose love is bigger than your anxieties, doubts, and insecurities.

This means that even when it doesn’t feel like it, you will find faith, hope, and love in your darkest hours. You will understand that God’s love doesn’t change whether you’re up in the highs or down in the lows. And while pushing through and having faith in your struggles, someone might look over at you and be inspired by how you handle it.

Get ready to run side by side with God and run your race strong, conquering your biggest fears in life. You and God are about to do incredible things together. I can already tell!

CHAPTER ONE

Lost

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"The closest you’ll ever be to the Lord is when

you don’t have anything but Him"

- A GOOD FRIEND

It was supposed to be a regular day at Batesville High School. An easy day, considering I only had two classes that afternoon—perks of being a senior. Spring break was right around the corner, so I was counting down the days until I got my time away from school. With all the life-changing decisions I had to make soon, like where I would go to college, what degree I would pursue, and ultimately what I would do with my life, a break sounded like the best thing in the world. And soon, I would get it.

For now, I’m stuck in Coach Fowler’s second-period class, where I spend most of my time trying to avoid whatever work was due that week. Instead of doing my work in his class, I usually spent the class period laughing with my two friends, Peyton Fowler and Lane Lambert. That day, we were probably procrastinating whatever homework was due before spring break. March was the time of the year when most seniors began to fall off—skipping class and turning in assignments late. Some of my classmates weren’t even there that day, which didn’t surprise me at all. But boy, were they going to miss out on one eventful day.

Peyton became oddly quiet in the middle of whatever joke we had rolling around in our conversation. He started fixating hard on the screen of his phone. He looked at his electronic device with a puzzled look on his face, almost as if he’d seen some terrible news. And while it seemed like something was happening, my friend wasn’t telling us about it.

What’s wrong, bro? I asked, concerned. Peyton wasn’t the type of person to be shaken up by many things, but whatever he’d seen was bothering him. With a confused look, he answered, I don’t know why, but a few friends from my hometown just texted me and said they just got sent home from school. Spring break is starting early for them.

What? I thought to myself. My stomach dropped at that moment. That was not the response I was expecting to hear from my friend. If one school does something in Arkansas, other schools tend to follow.

Why is that? I responded. Before Peyton could acknowledge my question, he was interrupted by a classmate in the back of the room. My mom just texted me and said we’re probably about to get sent home, she said to the class. Chatter started whispering around the room. Um, again, why? I thought to myself.

Before I could finish my thought, my phone started buzzing with notifications. There was my answer. My Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook were blowing up with alerts about all the school districts in the state beginning to shut down. I started scrolling through all of these notifications on my home screen. Whenever I noticed an alert from our local news station, I paused. I clicked it. A news article popped up with a big title: First’ presumptive case’ of coronavirus in Arkansas forces college closure—KAIT8.

Lane, this is a joke. Right? I said to my friend as I showed him my phone. Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen multiple jokes about the coronavirus on social media platforms. Some people were highly disturbed about it; others could care less. I honestly never put much thought into it. I don’t think they would joke about that, he replied.

Slowly, we read through this article, which stated that the governor declared a public health emergency in the state. Apparently, the coronavirus had made its way to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, where a student tested positive for it.

Can I see that? Peyton said. Others in the classroom looked over his shoulder as he read it. Before I knew it, the article on my phone was passed around the entire room, and we were having a class-wide discussion about what was happening in the world. And soon, twenty-something seventeen and eighteen-year-olds were giving their opinions on the crisis at hand.

Coach Fowler heard the chatter and shut it down.

Everyone, please stop. In 2010, H1N1 started spreading worldwide, and I heard the same stuff. It’s not that big of a deal. I bet this virus will make its way here and die out like all the others I’ve seen in my lifetime. We’ll probably finish out the week, then go on spring break. Relax.

Seconds after making such a bold statement, Coach Fowler’s phone rang. He looked down to see what I presumed to be a message. He gave us a Give me a second and sat down at his desk following the alert.

I bet we’ll get sent home, Lane said. He laughed. I laughed along with him, but my humor was undoubtedly fake. What if we actually get sent home? I thought to myself. I felt an awful sense of uncertainty in that classroom. A strange feeling of discomfort overwhelmed my emotions.

As the period began to unfold, I wondered how all of this was going to affect me. I had big goals for the next few weeks. With track season only a few days away, my goal to win a state championship in the 1600-meter run was about to begin. In the coming weeks, I was scheduled to visit the campuses of a few different colleges for basketball. Hopefully, on those visits, I’d finally decide which college I would attend. Now that I think about it, the next few weeks of my life were crucial for my future. Sure, I had options, but I honestly had no idea what direction I was going.

Then, bam! Coach Fowler got up from his desk.

Well, I lied. If you can drive, the school district has asked that you please vacate the premises. Apparently, this thing is spreading faster than we thought.

Canceled

Everyone grabbed their bags and rushed for the door. We didn’t even wait for the bell. We just got up and left.

Feeling halfway rushed, I paced my way through the hallways and over to the door that led to the parking lot. As I pushed through a crowd of students on my way, I paused and started reflecting on what was happening. I saw friends I’d grown up with in that hallway. Classmates I had memories with. People I’d come to know and love through the years. And right before I walked out, a weird thought popped into my head. Is this the last time I’ll ever see some of these people? And as I pushed through to go out to my car, as I was asked to do by the school, those irrational thoughts faded away.

Hey Caleb, wait up! A voice said in the background, as I made my way to the parking lot.

I turned around to see my stepbrother, Zach Shields. Long time, no see, I joked to him. Considering I had seen him the night before at our parents’ house. My dad married his mom when we were in the eighth grade, and since then, Zach has been one of my best friends. He was also one of the smartest people I knew. He was going to the University of Arkansas to pursue a career as a doctor. He decided that back in October. I was happy for him. I really was. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit I was a little jealous of him and my other friends, who seemed to have their future

Spring was when most seniors finalized their decisions on where they would go to college, where they would go to work, or what their next steps were. Close friends of mine, like Zach and others, had big plans. For instance, my friend, Dawson McMahan, was going to Lyon College to play golf. One of my best friends, Stetson Smithson, just signed a full scholarship to play basketball at Harding University. Every time I got on Instagram, I saw my friends posting about how excited they were to compete in their sports for their colleges. I was