Fear is my friend, it guides me to truth
Courage To Change — October 31, 2019
Don’t get me wrong, fear is a feeling, a driver and an emotional reaction to a situation. In most situations however, fear is not something to be afraid of, if that makes any sense. Fear can be a good thing. Aside from the usual reactions to fear, think of it as a guide. Say to yourself, Fear is my friend, it guides me to the right path in truth.
Quick and Simple Disclaimer: The readings in this post are literally taken wholesale out of the book entitled Courage to Change. You can find it at Amazon, Here. The portion entitled Alleged Insight, well that mess is all me.
If you’re an introvert, go buy the book, if you’re a broke introvert, the text from many good books can be found HERE , if you’re in dire straits however, go find an Al-Anon Meeting, it
So onward to Today’s Reading
So many of the choices I’ve made in my life have been reactions to fear. Something in my world changes: a loved one seeks sobriety, a friend is displeased with something I’ve said, I’m given a new task at work, the grocery store runs out of chicken – and inside I panic. I’m attacked by thoughts of disaster. I imagine failure, torment, agony. And then I act. I do something rash or fruitless in order to put a bandage on the situation, because the one thing I most fear is being afraid.
Fear can become a power greater than myself. I may not be able to fix it or make it go away. But today, with a Higher Power who is greater than my fears, I don’t have to let them run my life or make my choices for me. I can grab hold of my Higher Power’s hand, face my fears, and move through them.
Today’s reminder
Al-Anon is a program in which we find spiritual solutions to the things we are powerless to change. Today, instead of seeking relief from fear by trying to do battle with it, I will turn it my Higher Power.
“The birds of worry and care fly free above your head, this you cannot change. But that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent.”
Chinese proverb
Alleged Insight:
Emotions are powerful. No question. But your higher power and your self is even more powerful. You have choices, and among those choices is the option of not reacting to fear. Choosing to respond to the emotions rather than reacting to them, learning from them. In the reading above, the emotion noted is fear. Fear is really quite primal and powerful, but it’s also informative and insightful if you can step back and respond to it. Fear can show you where the weak points are, it can lead you to solid ground and faith in your world, it can show you where the work needs to be done to shore up the structure that is you and your emotional reality. I am not saying I am perfect at doing this, but the truth is that fear is my friend and I can learn from it. Fear will lead me to the truth of a situation if only I can calm my mind enough to see the whole picture.
Closing thoughts:
Humans are a messy creation. Feelings, hormones, and all that squishy stuff held together by a bag of skin and articulated by an internal framework of sticks. Leaving the physical messy bits alone for a moment, let’s consider that a well grown human will be able to work with and through his emotions, without being ruled by those same emotions. As an ACOA who is still working through his own crap, I’m not sure how good I am at responding rather than reacting, but to try is the first step towards succeeding.
Duke.