fear

When I first began this post my intention was to make a list of my fears. My physical, emotionally, and spiritual fears. Then I read this quote:
"Keep your fears to yourself but share your courage with others." ~Robert Louis Stevenson
We're all human. We all fear things. Whether it be our fear that we will fail a test, the fear that we may get hurt when snowboarding, fear that someone won't like you back, the fear we have of bugs *ahem worms*, or the fear that we may be embarrassed in front of a crowd. But aren't those fears kind of silly? Those fears are mostly linked to our human pride. We can get over those things. We can take classes and listen to lectures and learn about our fears, find the root of them and rip them out.
"If a man harbors any sort of fear, it percolates through all thinking, damages his personality and makes him a landlord to a ghost." ~Lloyd Douglas
And what about other deeper fears? The fear of the unknown. The fear of your future, the fear that you may not be good enough. The fear that you may make the wrong decision when choosing your future spouse, the fear that your children may choose to not obey, fear of the economy, the fear that you'll let a loved one down, fear of death. Fear that you won't make ends meet, and maybe you even fear yourself, because you know, you could turn out really wonderful.
Let's talk about another word beginning with F.
Faith.
"There is much in the world to make us afraid. There is much more in our faith to make us unafraid." ~Frederick W. Cropp
How do we rid ourselves of fear? Through faith. Through our trust in a higher being.
"He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly." ~B.C. Forbes
We don't know everything that will happen tomorrow. We don't even know where we'll be at the end of this week. But I can promise you that if you dwell on your fears, and let them take over your thoughts, they will destroy you. I can also promise you that faith will make your fears small. Faith combined with action will make your fears dissipate. You will believe in yourself. You'll live up to your potential. You will look at the future and smile, trusting that God will take care of you, and that the fear you feel is not from Him.
"Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. And lo, no one was there." ~Author Unknown