We Live

from a place of fear. This is undeniable. I should probably qualify that it is true of most people but I cannot say unequivocally that it is true of all people. So I speak here today to those of you (me included) that live from a place of fear. Let me capitalize Fear. I capitalize it because it dominates our lives, it is for some of us THE motivating force behind everything we do, everything we think, it defines our existence. I defy anyone to sit down, make a list of those events in your life that you remember, that you might even refer to as 'defining' moments of your life, and deny that the possible decisions that either you were considering or actually made were not the result of Fear. Go ahead... I dare ya.

Right, I thought so.

The opposite of Fear is Love. Not just courage but Love. I would say that courage is merely a symptom, an aspect of Love. I do believe that the definition of Divine Love encompasses many attributes, for example courage, and creativity, a sense of connection with others, a need for others. There is more no doubt but I'll stop there and let y'all use your own imaginations.

I believe that every decision we make, every decision that effects our life (and don't they all?) is made from either a place of Love or Fear. If we choose Fear then we stay in a place of pain, of regret, of stagnation. We stay in one place, never moving ahead. If we choose Love then we move to a place of courage, of creativity, of self-realization. We move one step closer to that which we are, or rather that which we CHOOSE to be. We move one step closer to realizing a potential that has no boundaries.

And isn't it courage and creativity and self-realization, are not these at least some of the things that define us as the image of God?

Now let me just end by saying this: I do not for one minute believe that it is merely the recognition of this that enables me to step right out of that Fear-mongering mode into the eternally joyful Love-mongering mode. Oh no, it's going to take work, a lot of work. I do not for one minute discount the many ways that we were influenced as we grew into adult-hood and undoing these shall we say less than healthy modes of living takes time and effort and a willingness to push through the difficulty. And it takes the help of some kind of professional counselor, whether it be psychotherapist, minister, choose your poison. But it absolutely must be somebody who is going to give you all the space you need to re-discover yourself. I do not believe that psychotherapy is a perfect means to get to that place that we want to be but the truth is that a good therapist will give you that space of re-discovery. There will be pitfalls, bumps in the road but really, what doesn't present us with pitfalls and bumps in the road? In the end a good therapist will foster an atmosphere of acceptance and exploration and a good therapist will also allow themselves the space to learn from you. Therapy is a great place to take our first tentative steps out of that place of Fear into that place of Love because it is a safe place to do so. It can be, with the right therapist the perfect place to start or should I say re-start.