Thursday, August 25, 2011

Just a thought

I have been thinking lately how much we live in fear. We fear for our jobs. We fear that we will lose our homes. We fear that we will fail our children. We fear to be weak, vulnerable. We accept this fear. It can become so much a part of who we are that we no longer question it. It guides our actions and attitudes even if it destroys our relationships. It makes us feel safe. 


I just spoke with a woman (who I quite like) who was afraid to have more than one child. She was regretting that her daughter grew up lonely as an only child. I went to university with somebody who was afraid to even attempt to get into graduate school. He didn't want to be rejected. (He would have been a much better scholar than me.) He now regrets his decision. A grandmother once told me that when her own children were small she wished their childhood away. She admitted that she was worried about what other people thought of her and felt like a failure. Again, great regret. 


We have so many fears in our lives. They are even valid. But they cannot be allowed to define who we are. 


Fear, failure, wounds - they are all a part of our story. They are not the main character. If we want to see how our story end then look at Jesus' story: redemption, transcendence, love, acceptance, forgiveness. This is the core of our being because, whether we admit it or not, Jesus is the core of our being.


Just a thought. Think about it.