What scares you?
I'm a pretty anxious person, and sometimes lately the world feels like it is on fire. There is just SO. MUCH. NEWS. All of us, like Pavlov's dogs, have a certain level of Ping Response these days. And we are fed a lot of information that tells us to fear. Be afraid. Always be afraid. And it is easy to buy into that. Every one of us has fears - whether we admit them openly or not. Whether we feel comfortable speaking them out or prefer to keep them in. And fear triggers response. A lot of response.
And yet...
We can practice breathing through the fears. It isn't always easy. It doesn't make them go away. But what I have found in fear is it helps to focus on the good. Not in a false positive way. Not in a blindfolded kind of way. But with truth and light. Looking for the good helps us find our true base, our guiding principles, our hope, our love. Because as
poet and pastor Drew Jackson writes:
The world is on fire
As it always is
The world is still beautiful
As it always is
And so we face the truth, we speak out for injustice, and we work toward love - as often and as much as possible. Jesus taught over and over again that everything falls under love. Paul backed him up. Love is the answer. Love conquers all.
So, when you consider what you fear, answer honestly. Speak truth. Find solace. Then look for the helpers, as Mr. Rogers would say. And when in doubt, find love in yourself as best you can. Center on what love means, how love makes you respond, what you would do for those you love, if and how you love yourself. When you work, think about love. When you parent, think about love. When you get up and when you go to bed, think about love. When you vote, think about love.
Love isn't always easy. It isn't silly. It is often quite hard work. It means facing hard things. It means pouring out in vulnerable ways. It means doing for others what you would want done for yourself. But -
Love as a filter changes the answers to the questions.
Love as a filter exposes your own pain.
Love as a filter tells the truth.
Love covers fear.
Angels in the Bible often start by saying, "do not fear." But fear is a natural response to the unknown. We don't stop fearing because we had someone tell us too - even an angel - we stop fearing when we feel loved - because love makes us feel safe, valued, secure, treasured.
St. Teresa of Avila was a nun, mystic, and religious reformer of the 1500s. One of her prayers goes like this:
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away;
God does not change.
Patience gains all things.
Who has God lacks nothing.
God alone suffices.
Reading that doesn't take away my fear, but it gives me words that invite me to lean into love. It reminds me I am not in charge of everything, nor do I need to be. I can - and should - do my part to make the world a better place, a less frightening one, a more loving one.
So, on Halloween, may you consider exchanging fear for love. May there be less tricks and more treats for you today. May you offer something sweet back to those who arrive at your door, literally or metaphorically. May you practice choosing love.
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