Fear You Are Welcomed

"You block your dreams when you allow your fears to grow bigger than your faith." - Mary Morrissey

Who are you at your core? Are you the things other people say?

Are the dreams you have authentically yours, or are they the composites of what others think they should be?

The life you are currently living, is it really yours or is it someone else’s that you have taken on?

These are questions I have struggled with at different times in my life.

Sometimes they make repeat appearances.

These are also questions that have their roots in fear and require an honest response to.

I believe that where we are in life at this appointed time is right where we are supposed to be.  

Everything is always in God’s timing.

But I also know that sometimes where we are is not where He wants us to stay, but instead, we are there out of fear of moving towards the bigger things that are waiting for us. There is fear in being our best selves and living our best lives, rising to the fullness of who we are.

Fear’s power can be paralyzing, but only when we allow it. And yet allow it, we often do.

It shapes and forms our decisions, behaviors, and thoughts. It fuels our deepest doubts about our worth and our abilities.

We want to learn how to not be afraid, but we struggle to do so.

Fear makes its home in our minds. It is always at work, telling us all the reasons why something will go wrong. It is the thing that keeps us believing that we are somehow less than or don’t have the right to the dreams that beat so deeply within our hearts. It keeps us comfortable in our discomfort because it is easier to stay with what is familiar and safe even if we are no longer growing and our sense of self is dying in the process.

We fear that we will fail; that we will somehow get it wrong. We fear what others may think and say. We fear rejection, not measuring up.  We fear judgment that begs the question, “who does she think she is?” We fear actually succeeding at what we set out to do.

There are many purposes behind fear’s existence. It is a natural and normal emotion one that is part of the human experience. Fear can cause us to stop and to think; giving us a moment to reflect and be wise in our choices. It is protection to keep us from harm; an internal warning signal. It can fuel our dreams and make us blindly determined to do the things it challenges us to give up on. Sometimes we may even take on the “I’ll show you” attitude in response to fear’s nagging persistence.

But no matter the reason it shows up on our journeys, we will not get rid of fear. It will always have a place with us, a reserved spot where it will come to hang its hat every time we are ready to embark on spaces and places outside of our comfort zone.

Fear will never leave nor should we ask it to. We will not dismiss it or pretend it is not a part of our reality but instead, we acknowledge and welcome it in the spirit of hospitality and see it for what it is, a companion and a teacher.

As we move towards the things God has for us, let fear not be in charge of determining the direction of our lives. We will refuse to give into its demands when it wants to rule.

We will befriend it, take it with us and learn the lessons that it wants to teach. 

This is how we learn to not be afraid.

And we will always choose to allow our faith to be bigger than any of our fears.

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What fears are you willing to welcome in? Send me an email or post a comment.

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