Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
I'm interested in your thoughts on fear & insecurity. Both are things I have struggled with a great deal in my life and both are things I have worked very hard to overcome. I have felt lately like I'm in a really good place but I still have things that creep up and hold me back. I experienced something tonight that made me feel so scared and, in turn, made me really insecure because I knew that the people I was with probably didn't understand what my deal was. It was such a contrast from last night, where I spent several hours with 3 people that I feel like I can be COMPLETELY myself around. I left FHE tonight feeling so sick because of the intense anxiety I was feeling and on the drive home couldn't help but think, what more can I do? I've worked hard to be stronger so that fear won't rule my life and yet these silly little things come up and make me feel like I can't take another step forward. So, this is where my question comes in. What are your thoughts? How do you overcome fear? Do you ever come across things in life that make you completely paralyzed with fear? I'd love to hear (read?) your thoughts.
3 comments:
I totally have had bouts with fears and insecurities. I'm a total chicken, let's face it. I get scared a lot. And overwhelmed. And this talk was the first thing I thought of, because I read it at a time when I was totally overwhelmed and, yes, I would even say paralyzed. And it helped me understand the Atonement in a different light. We don't have to do things right the first time. We can fail and fail miserably, but even if we can just muster up the desire to change, to be better, stronger, whatever, it is an acceptable offering unto the Lord, and he will take us the rest of the way. Every day is a new day, thats one vital part of mortality. Baby steps. Keep going forward. You may not feel like you're making progress, but I'd bet if you asked God, he'd say you're doing fine and he loves you so much. (I love you, too!)
I completely agree with your friend Mal! But also, I have thought about this a lot before writing because I feel like I understand but I also feel like I understand it differently than what you are saying. I have tons of fears and anxieties but they are completely different than yours - that is where I got fascinated - why do we have DIFFERENT fears? Why am I terrified of someone coming into my house but not speaking in public? Why do certain things stop me in my tracks and make it hard for me to move and breathe yet you could walk right through it without a second thought? Its so strange to me! I am like you however in that I am afraid of letting my fears rule my life! An odd fear that overpowers me sometimes - there are days when I won't cook because I can't stand the idea of getting chicken ALL over the kitchen, how do I ever know if I got all of the chicken germs up?? I don't so I won't cook! Horrible! I feel terrible that I have no answer, but I do agree that if you asked God he would say you were doing more than fine, you're wonderful! Seriously look at the thousands of steps you have taken and where you are now! Just the fact that you are concerned and think about progress is so utterly important to our progress. The best thing is that when you can't take another step the Lord is there to take your hand and guide you through or maybe sometimes He will be kind enough to push us! That is what I pray for anyway! Another more temporal thing is that I recently read a book called The Gift of Fear (put it on your list!). Most of the way through it I felt more fears, but his last chapter summed up some wonderful points that have actually really helped me to feel less afraid. I feel like I've just put them out of my head but I guess I really have just put them in God's hands instead of my own. Anyway, its a good read and really helpful - at least for the types of fears I have!! Love you!
All right, so here is my not-as-inspiring comment as those above... I tend to look at fear & anxiety from a pretty "non-religious" aspect. I've gotten to the point where I know myself well enough and I know that there are just certain things about me that are what they are. I don't like to meet new people. Yup, I'm sure you didn't know that one, right?! Ha! This is something I know about myself and I know it causes me anxiety. I know it about myself and I'm comfortable knowing it's part of who I am. That does not mean I don't make an effort to get to know knew people. It does mean I don't try to change who I am, though. Does that make sense? It's something I've always had to deal with and it won't be "fixed" overnight. Even with the Lord's help, it won't be fixed overnight. But since I know it's something I don't enjoy doing, I can work on it at my own pace. Apply that as you'd like. Or not! :) Just my thought.
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