Fear says: DON’T GO THERE.
Life quietly asks: WHY NOT?
Sometimes the very thing standing between you and your portion is a fear that has convinced you it has more power than it really does.
Turn around.
Look at it.
And when the time is right…walk toward it.
Fear is an intruder dynamic.
It was part of our original divine purpose, yet even fear can be used in such a way that it brings about personal and spiritual growth.
You see, fear occupies valuable REAL ESTATE within the self.
It moves in.
Takes up space.
Decorates the place with doubt.
Then tries to convince you that it owns the property.
MMMMM?
Maybe it’s time to check the deed.
THE UNKNOWN
To marvel, wonder and inquire is part of our heritage.
A child demonstrates this beautifully.
What’s that?
Where does it go?
Can I touch it?
What happens if…?
Then something marvelous occurs when we add LEGS to curiosity.
ACTION.
Wonder becomes adventure.
Adventure invites discovery.
Discovery enlarges the person doing the discovering.
Who knows where it leads?
That’s part of the fun.
The unknown was never meant to be occupied exclusively by fear.
There is WONDER there too.
FEAR FOOD
Fear thrives on a very different diet.
It feeds on excessive thinking.
WHAT IF THIS HAPPENS?
WHAT IF THAT HAPPENS?
WHAT IF I FAIL?
WHAT IF THEY LAUGH?
WHAT IF I LOSE?
WHAT IF…WHAT IF…WHAT IF?
Notice something.
Most of it hasn’t happened.
The mind is producing previews for movies that may never be released.
Yet the body responds as though we’re already sitting in the theater watching them.
Fear eats well.
TIGHTENING ITS GRIP
If fear gets a foothold, it can begin producing paralysis.
First in the mind.
Then the emotions.
Eventually even the body participates.
Don’t go.
Don’t speak.
Don’t try.
Don’t change.
Don’t risk.
Don’t ask.
Stay right here.
And each time we obey without examining the fear, the boundary gets reinforced.
The cage may have no lock…
but we stop checking the door.
THE CYCLE REPEATS
Fear survives beautifully through repetition.
Something frightens us.
We avoid it.
Avoidance produces temporary relief.
That relief seems to prove avoiding it was the correct decision.
So the next time fear appears…
we avoid it again.
MMMMM?
Now fear has trained us.
That’s how an intruder becomes a tenant.
LIGHT — WEAPON #1
Bring the thing into the light.
Name it.
Look at it.
Examine what is actually happening rather than everything your imagination says COULD happen.
Light has an interesting relationship with darkness.
It doesn’t argue with it.
It simply arrives.
And shadows begin disappearing.
The same can happen inside us.
Awareness exposes exaggeration.
Understanding removes mystery.
And sometimes when we finally look directly at what frightened us, we discover something almost humorous:
THAT’S IT?
TRUTH — WEAPON #2
Truth is one of fear’s greatest enemies.
Ask:
What do I actually KNOW?
What am I merely imagining?
What evidence do I have?
What is the worst reasonable outcome?
What can I do if that happens?
Suddenly the monster begins acquiring measurements.
And anything that can be measured becomes easier to deal with.
Fear loves vague darkness.
Truth turns on the lights.
TRUTH FOUNDATION
We are introduced to truth very early.
Tell the truth.
Admit what happened.
Don’t hide.
Own what you did.
These childhood instructions were preparing us for something much larger.
Truth becomes a FOOTING.
A place to stand.
Once you know where you’re standing, you can begin deciding where to go.
And if you stumble?
Get up.
Truth isn’t destroyed because you temporarily fell away from it.
Return.
Begin again.
Keep going.
FAITH — WEAPON #3
Then comes faith.
Faith doesn’t necessarily mean knowing exactly what will happen.
Quite the opposite.
Sometimes faith means proceeding precisely because you DON’T know.
You know only what is required of you in this moment.
Take the next step.
Then another.
There may be trembling involved.
Fine.
There may be uncertainty.
Fine.
Courage isn’t always a fearless person marching confidently forward.
Sometimes courage is a frightened person whispering:
“I’m going anyway.”
FEAR EMPLOYS…WHAT IF?
Fear loves two words:
WHAT IF?
So turn them around.
What if I succeed?
What if I’m stronger than I thought?
What if the thing I’ve avoided for years takes twenty minutes to resolve?
What if someone helps me?
What if the door opens?
What if I discover something?
What if beyond this fear is something that has been waiting for me?
MMMMM?
Fear doesn’t particularly like THOSE what-ifs.
HOLD YOUR POSITION
There comes a point when you know something is right in your heart but fear is still making noise.
Hold your position.
You don’t have to wrestle fear to the ground.
You don’t have to scream affirmations at it.
You don’t even have to pretend you’re not afraid.
Simply refuse to let fear make the decision.
That’s different.
Fear may ride in the car.
It just doesn’t get to drive.
WHAT FEAR REALLY IS
Sometimes fear is an appropriate warning and should be respected.
But there is another fear—the kind manufactured by imagination, doubt and old experiences—that becomes a lie on the move looking for somewhere to live.
That is the fear I’m talking about.
And here is something daring:
GO TOWARD IT.
Not recklessly.
Not foolishly.
Not when genuine danger is present.
But when you know in your heart that the only thing stopping you is fear itself…
advance.
Tremble if you have to.
Shake.
Gulp.
Sweaty palms?
Fine.
Knocking knees?
Bring them along.
Just keep moving.
YOUR PORTION
What might be waiting beyond fear?
Perhaps nothing dramatic.
Maybe it’s making the telephone call.
Applying for the job.
Speaking honestly.
Going somewhere alone.
Trying something new.
Leaving something finished.
Beginning again.
Introducing yourself.
Showing somebody what you created.
Saying YES.
Or finally saying NO.
But occasionally, beyond one particular fear sits an entire unexplored part of your life.
Something was waiting there…
and fear had been standing at the entrance collecting admission.
FINAL THOUGHT
Do not spend your entire life standing outside a door simply because fear put up a sign saying:
DO NOT ENTER.
Look again.
The sign may not have been placed there by God, destiny or life.
Fear may have made it itself.
And beyond that doorway may be something bearing your name.
Your growth.
Your freedom.
Your experience.
Your portion.
Only you will know when it is time.
But when you know…
GO.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you