Three Sticks — Moses on Life

I’ve written a lot about fear. Overcoming fear is a central theme of this blog. Like many people at different times in my life I have been overwhelmed by fear and the anxiety that it triggered.  Anxiety can rob you of your motivation and cause you to turn away from the people who care about you. This leaves you with a sensoe loneliness that is hard to describe. As I am sure many of you are doing, I’ve been reading a great deal about the current economic climate and the long term aftershocks we will likely have to endure.  I certainly have a sense of foreboding about the current situation and I can easily see where someone who is facing a tougher economic situation could be consumed by their fear and anxiety.  It’s not hard to imagine someone with an upside down mortgage and other financial obligations face the daunting challenge of maintaining their faith that there will be brighter days in the future.

And yet deep inside of each of us, we know that it will be better no matter how hard it gets. This is especially true if you have been through some hard times before and came out better in the end. The trick is holding onto that thought as you are dealing with your current situation.  It’s hard.  Sometimes we make it even harder by beating ourselves up over those times when we do lose faith, however momentarily.

The first thing to remember is that however you are feeling it is OK. You have every right to feel whatever you feel. I know that this goes against the current “PC culture”, but how can it be healthy if you deny yourself the right to feel particular emotions even if they are negative.  You need to experience the full range of emotions, it is a God given right.  So yes, if you are angry, sad or feel hateful towards someone else or perhaps and entire group of people, feel free to experience those emotions.  Of course the next step is to choose what to do with those feelings.  This is where God’s gift of free will is so very precious.  You see animals have emotions and instinct like us, but only we have the capability to embrace our emotions and take control of them, choosing our own path rather than the path our emotions would lead us down.

So the next time fear and anxiety have taken hold of your heart follow these simple steps:

1. Remember that your creator has given you the power to overcome your emotions
2. Remember the it will get better — Try to think of specific time when you had lost faith and your life got better in spite of your lack of faith
3. Confirm your faith
4. Choose what you will do next — This is often the hardest step, but making choices for your life gives you control of your circumstances particularly if you let your faith guide you

I know that in the next several years we will all face challenges that we didn’t expect to have to overcome, but regardless of our challenges or circumstances we have everything we need to rise above them.

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