"We're both emotional" - thoughts on fear

So I love our Netflix streaming and lately have added some random titles to the instant queue for later viewing. Recently I ran across a delightful foreign film and have to share some thoughts with you. The move Romantics Anonymous features two people crippled in their fears of everything who, against all odds, find each other. Here's the trailer:

Adorable right? As I watched, somewhat painfully, at the awkward exchanges and misunderstandings I grew in empathy toward them and their "emotions" that get the better of them. The anxiety they live with to do normal everyday things was incredibly compounded when they met each other. While I could entertain  you with my own set of awkward moments or anxiety ridden thoughts, that's not this blog post (if you're lucky, maybe some day soon). Instead, this post discusses fear.

Fear is defined as:
1: an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger
2: anxious concern
3: profound reverence and awe especially toward God
4: reason for alarm

Here are a couple thoughts by other, more brilliant folks who share their words with the world:

1. "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."~Marianne Williamson

2.“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.”~ Francis Chan

3. And on the back of my car this bumper sticker:







Fear shows up in my office everyday in the form of -

• students who stopped dreaming because they are simply terrified of not finding a job
• students who plan to go to graduate school out of fear of looking for a job
• students who are crippled with indecision about their major for fear of the wrong choice
• and even students who fear succeeding

Fear is underneath a LOT of our other emotions - anger, jealousy, stubbornness, arrogance, self-deprecation, and more. I think it's important to be a student of fear in order to recognize it at work within us. I've been someone who lives in fear. I've also seen it guiding people in my life. And it makes me indignant. God has used the scripture below from 1John to push me out of my comfort zone and into places where I must face my fear. I want us all to change our default settings from fear to love. (As noted above, love always wins). I want us to refuse the luggage of fear and insecurity and instead bear the light yoke of Jesus who is perfect love and works out His perfect love in this world though His people. Friend - let today be the beginning of taking risks in the name of love.