Along the journey towards the greater, there are many small, daily steps to better understand oneself, God, and others. This is one of my “daily steps”.
I am kinda a risk adverse person. Some might say “scaredy cat” but risk adverse sounds better to me.⠀
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I definitely would never be the one holding this snake. ⠀
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Fear comes out the most for me on roller coasters – anyone who has ever tried to get me on one knows. I can watch and see that the coaster goes round and round safely over and over and that no one falls out. But still, I get on and suddenly my fists are clenched tight around the rod that holds me in and I can feel the fear welling up in me.⠀
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One of the last times I attempted to overcome my #fear, a friend recommended I just close my eyes. “Take out one of the senses. If you can’t see where you are going, you might be less afraid.” Skeptical, I closed my eyes and surprisingly I did feel less afraid. My fists even relaxed a little off rod that held me in the seat and I began to settle into the ride.⠀
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This first week of #Advent, I’m concentrating on #hope. But how many times do I let #fear get in the way of #hope? ⠀
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Closing my eyes on the roller coaster (maybe that would work for snakes?) took away my ability to predict the future. #HenriNouwen once wrote: “While optimism makes us live as if someday soon things will go better for us, hope frees us from the need to predict the future and allows us to live in the present, with the deep trust that God will never leave us alone but will fulfill the deepest desires of our heart… Joy in this perspective is the fruit of hope.”⠀
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What fear can you let go of today to move forward in hope?⠀
