Freedom from Fear to Bold Expectation – Jan F&W Lunch
As we step into a new year, many of us naturally think about goals, plans, and hopes for what’s ahead. Alongside those hopes, fears often surface — fears about finances, career stability, uncertainty, or the unknown twists life may bring.
At a recent Faith & Work Lunch, Jordan Maroon invited us to pause and ask a deeper question: What fears keep us from fully following Jesus?
Rather than focusing only on circumstantial anxieties, Jordan pointed us to a more searching invitation from Scripture — one that reframes how we think about fear, faith, and expectation.
The Deeper Fear
In Matthew 16:24-25, Jesus says:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
This call is familiar to many of us — and yet deeply challenging. Following Jesus is not an invitation into comfort, control, or upward mobility. It is an invitation into surrender.
The question, then, isn’t only How do I overcome my fears about work or life? It may be: What am I afraid God might ask me to give up if I truly follow Him?
That fear can quietly shape our prayers, our decisions, and our expectations — even when we sincerely want to trust God.
Freedom Comes Through Bold Expectation
Jordan shared that freedom from fear doesn’t come from eliminating uncertainty or managing outcomes. It comes through bold expectation of who God is and what He has promised.
This idea is powerfully echoed in Philippians 3:7-8, where Paul reflects on his impressive accomplishments and writes:
“Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ… I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
Paul believed that knowing Jesus was worth everything — because God’s promises are real. Eternal life is real. Resurrection is real. Righteousness comes not from achievement, but from Christ.
That bold expectation is what allowed Paul to endure suffering, loss, rejection, and uncertainty — and still say, Jesus is worth it.
Personal Reflection
Which is stronger: your belief in these truths or your fears in taking up your cross? Why?
What This Means for Our Work and Lives
At Needle’s Eye, we often think about following Jesus at work through three interconnected areas: identity, purpose, and influence.
Identity
What defines us most? Success, competence, relationships, or recognition?
God may not ask us to give these things up — but He may invite us to move them out of the center of our identity and let them orbit around our truest identity in Christ.
Purpose
How do we make decisions about our time, energy, and goals?
Rather than asking God to bless plans we’ve already made, we are invited to discern what He wants to do in us and through us — and to align our calendars and resources accordingly.
Influence & Resources
Our experience, relationships, skills, and finances are gifts from God.
The invitation is not toward upward mobility for its own sake, but toward faithful stewardship — asking how God might use what we’ve been given for the good of others and the building of His kingdom.
A Gentle Invitation
As we move forward into this year, the invitation is not perfection or fearlessness. It is honesty.
Where might fear still be holding the steering wheel — even while you believe the right things about God?
Freedom from fear doesn’t come by controlling outcomes. It grows as we deepen our trust that Jesus is worth whatever He asks of us.
Personal Reflection
What might it look like for you to take one small step of obedience — trusting that God is who He says He is?
If you’d like to continue this conversation, we’d love to invite you to join us for our next Faith & Work lunch on Feb 6 or jump into an industry cohort. We believe following Jesus at work is something we’re meant to do together.
