Fear Not

Driving down the road, I saw a bumper sticker on the car in front of me. It said, simply, "Fear Not." So simple, and yet so incredibly profound. If there was just one message I could take to heart, and then convey to the world, it would be "Fear Not." It's one thing to intellectually understand the message behind this simple phrase, but quite another to live it.

In my previous blog, "The Power of Dis-Creation" I talked about using fear as a tool for growth. "Fear Not" does not mean the absence of fear. What it means is keeping the proper perspective on fear. Be an observer of your experience of fear, rather than being caught up in it. Use it to help keep you on your desired path.

You should not let fear prevent you from doing what is in your heart -- because it is impossible for you to fail. How can I say this when we experience failure every day? If you believe as I do that our separation from each other and from God is just an illusion -- then things are put into perspective. There can be no "bad" experience unless that's what we call it. It matters not which path we take because all paths lead back to God.

We could make what appear to be bad decisions. We could destroy ourselves -- destroy our world in fact, and it would not matter in the long run. Could anything we do possibly diminish the magnificence of God? Of course not.

This is not to say that we should act irresponsibly. In doing so, we deny who we really are -- which is love. We can not grow and evolve and live to our fullest potential when we deny who we are. But living in fear is also a denial of who we are. To live without fear is to always act in a way that is consistent with the highest vision we have for ourselves, regardless of the consequences. If that sounds irresponsible, read it again, carefully.

If we can always live with this perspective, it can be very empowering. Instead of focusing so much on particular outcomes, we focus on who we are and who we choose to become. This is the concept of detachment. As long as we are true to who we are (and help others be true to who they are), it does not really matter what the outcome is. There can be no dissapointment -- there is no failure -- if we are not attached to a particular outcome. And we can rest assured that regardless of what happens, we will always find our way back to God.

I'd like to leave you with this quote:

Our Deepest Fear
by Marianne Williamson from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”