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. . . is the absence of faith.

-- Paul Tillich

Almost A Whisper

We all experience fear.

Sometimes we fear small things that only seem large at the time, like a test in school, or meeting a new boss, or going to the dentist.

Sometimes we fear big things like serious illness or death, or that someone we love will come to harm.

Fear is healthy, and we all feel it. It keeps us from doing foolish things sometimes, but too much fear can also keep us from doing what we need for our growth.

If we have faith in God and in ourselves, we can turn and face whatever frightens us, believing we can, with help, do what seems impossible.

And we will, and the fear will vanish.

The important first step in dealing with fear is to take action -- either by tackling what we fear ourselves, or by asking for help.

Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.

Geese lower their heads when flying under a bridge,

no matter how high its arches may be.

-- Julius Caesar Scaliger

Old fears oppress us. They can hamper our growth; we learn nothing from them.

Yet many of us continue to be afraid, for reasons we have long since forgotten, or never knew.

Our bodies sometimes carry the weight of these old fears; a cringing of the shoulders or a knot in the gut may be part of the legacy.

Our growth as free beings may depend on shedding these old fears. They are as real as viruses, and they make us ill in similar ways.

We need to examine our actions, to be sure that we aren't just ducking our heads every time we fly under a bridge.

Am I behaving appropriately? Am I meeting this situation in this moment, or am I letting the past govern me? Am I acting or reacting?

When we discard old fear, we have a sense of liberation. Whatever wound that old fear was protecting can heal.

We are ready to face life as it comes, not as we fear it might come.

Fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.

-- Shirley MacLaine

No one is brave every moment; each of us feels awkward, shy, perhaps even ugly or dumb part of the time.

If we could understand that about each other, it would make it easier for us to be friendly and willing to talk to someone new.

Instead, we often sit back, waiting to be noticed; waiting for someone to invite us to join in an activity.

We are all so much alike, yet we are so certain we're different.

Being self-conscious is normal. Even those who are the most popular suffer the same fears as the rest of us.

The better we understand the ways we are the same, the easier it will be to make friends with someone new.

And it's through friends that we grow and are strengthened for whatever lies ahead.

__________

12/21/2008