Surrendering Our Fears

 

I came across this reflection the other day and although it is a little old (in the sense that it refers to the Mass readings for January 6), it was such a powerful thought that I felt compelled to share it.

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Perhaps fear is second only to sin in keeping us from experiencing the love that God has for us. Our fear comes from so many places that it's sometimes hard to unravel the cords of stress and anxiety that seem to strangle our spirits. But today's first reading reveals an awesome reality: perfect love casts out fear. That perfect love comes directly from God through Jesus. The triumph of His cross and Resurrection is our hope to overcome the everyday fears that hold us back.

Claim your victory over fear by listing all of your fears and either literally placing them at Christ's feet upon a crucifix or figuratively during your prayer time or at Mass. We can begin to free ourselves from fear if we keep our eyes on Jesus and trust that His perfect love will set us free.

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Reflection from My Daily Visitor, January 6, 2010 (I added boldness)

I think that last paragraph gives a really great idea: “claim your victory over fear by listing all of your fears.”Regardless of your religious beliefs, this is an extremely freeing exercise. Stare what scares you in the face; in doing so, those negative thoughts lose their power to control your life. While acknowledging such fears will not banish them from our lives forever, it is the first step in taking action towards a healthier outlook.

Believe me, I struggle with this everyday. In fact, I’m a rather notorious worry wart—I worry about school, my life…just about everything. When I think about it, this preoccupation with worry makes no sense at all. Think of all the things I could be doing to reach my goals…but instead, to often I just sit in a frozen, fearful stupor waiting for bad things to happen. This is ridiculous, because what one dwells on, grows. Our thoughts become our reality. Still, it is a very tough mindset to break.

Like so many things, worry in itself is not all bad. For example, if we didn’t worry at all we probably wouldn’t wear seatbelts and that could prove fatal in some cases. It is when wholesome concern turns to crippling anxiety that we need to let go. For as the above passage states, it is this kind of fear that keeps us away from God’s love and from experiencing life to the fullest. And somewhere inside—whether we acknowledge it or not—I know that is what all of us want that more than anything else in the world.

So here is a partial list of some of the things that I stress about:

I fear…

• Not being smart enough; not getting accepted to college or not getting a good scholarship and thus ending up in horrible debt.
• That I will be F.U.L.U. for the rest of my life: fat, ugly, lazy, and unintelligent.
• Not getting a job or being able to make money and ending up homeless or poor or worse.
• For my health and for the health and safety of those around me.
• That I will never recover from the ‘issues’ that plague me.
• Dying
• That things will never get any better.

I could go on and on, but that’s enough of a depressing list for today. :P Really, though, while those things may be scary to think about, chances are that most of them will never happen! So why do I worry? Because I feel that worrying gives me insurance and preparedness for if/when those events or situations actually happen. Yes, that is really what I think. That is not what I want to think, but worry is a stubborn weed to eradicate, and I think it is something that many of us have to make a conscious decision to surrender everyday. My  faith provides an amazing gift in Jesus as a loving arm on which to cast all of my concerns. I believe that he has endured all and suffered all for me, and if I surrender myself completely to him, he will take care of me. Faith = the ultimate stress relief. As St. Paul says: “For to me life is Christ, and death is gain” (Philippians 1:21). So why do we worry about anything? Umm, because that is all a lot easier said that done. While I ‘believe’ these things with my lips and my head, it’s a lot more difficult to actually believe them with my spirit and my soul.

Enough about me; now it’s your turn:

What do you fear? What anxieties and worries are holding you back?

 
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“Fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow.  ~Philip Gulley
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