I read somewhere that the number one fear of a majority of people is public speaking. I cannot relate. I get nervous, my palms get sweaty, and I get an adrenaline rush.
Now heights as a fear I get it. If God intended humans to be any considerable distance off the ground He would have given us wings.
I don’t mind being the center of attention. All eyes on me. As a fifth grader I was one of the lead characters in a school play. I loved the pressure to perform. As a young adult I had the privilege of being in our church’s Easter play. I was in a supporting role. My line was supposed to be “Peter Jesus isn’t here, in the tomb.” They came out “John”, which was my character, “ I mean Peter, Jesus isn’t here, in the tomb.” The crowd got a laugh, our associate pastor who was playing Peter got a laugh, and though embarrassed I got a laugh. After the play I got several “compliments” saying they enjoyed my fumbling. It didn’t take long to get over my embarrassment and soak up the compliments even if they were jokes.I just loved the attention, people remembered me for something.
I believe God has given me a gift to speak publicly. A gift to enjoy the “pressure of performance.” Yet, in times past I have turned that gift into a way to generate attention solely for myself. Instead I should be using it to point others back to Christ.