Fears Kill Dreams

Looking out the window from my makeshift home office during another lockdown, my thoughts turn to family and good friends, who I have not seen in over a year.

A wave of sadness and despair washes over me.

I should be grateful knowing there are countless people across the globe suffering more trauma and tragedy than I can imagine.

Fear and anxiety has skyrocketed, tightening its grip these last 18-months. Rationale has been thrown out the window and people are behaving totally out of character.

Extended lockdowns are having a huge impact on us all. It’s no wonder solitary confinement is the worst form of punishment in our prison system.

We were not designed to be isolated. We are social creatures, with family and community at the core of our existence.

This got me thinking more about the concept of fear and what we can do to overcome it. After all, living in constant fear will only paralyse us and hold us back from fulfilling our purpose in life.

The Oxford Dictionary defines fear as ‘an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm’. It is a natural, powerful, and primitive human emotion. It is meant to protect us, right?

The truth is fear promises the exact opposite of what it is supposed to deliver. It says, ‘believe me and I’ll make things better for you’, yet it steals the very thing it promises.

Delving a little deeper, I discovered a few more snippets of wisdom about fear:

- It keeps you from discovering your identity.
- People make foolish decisions out of fear.
- Is a catalyst for sickness, chaos, and hatred.
- Often comes to you because of trauma.
- Leads to obsessive over-protection.
- Steals our power and ability to think clearly.
- Distorts discernment and self-control.
- Is often driven by ‘False Expectations Appearing Real’.

Whether you realise it or not, everybody believes in something. I call it ‘our truth’. It is our truth, but it may not be THE truth.

What you believe will determine your future. Change the way you think, and it will change the way you behave.

I also heard someone recently explain the difference between Faith and Fear, which I thought was an interesting concept.

Faith is believing something you can’t see will happen. Fear is believing something you can’t see will happen. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

One is positive and the other is negative.

Life is too short for erroneous believing to stop us from achieving all that this life has to offer. Perhaps we need to make the decision not to allow the spirit of fear to be the loudest narrative in our lives.

We can’t escape fear, it’s a human emotion. We should acknowledge it when it visits but not allow it to take up residence in our lives.

Take action with confidence and a belief that all things will work out in the end, despite what is going on around us.

Fears kill Dreams. Choose to give thanks and focus on being in the hope giving business.