Fear is the worst, to be quite honest. Have you ever thought about all the things you would do and accomplish if you weren't defined by your fear? Personally, I know that when I'm weighing out the options of a decision, I contemplate the more exciting, challenging, and maybe a little scarier choice before comfortably choosing the safer one. Do you do this too? Probably.
Why do we do this? We want safety and ease… but do we? Did you ever have a crush on someone cute but you weren't able to put yourself out there and just say hi? And don't you immediately feel annoyed with yourself after chickening out? Obviously, the idea of rejection is scary, and you don't want to seem crazy for just going up to someone and putting yourself out there, but seriously have you ever thought about what could happen if that scary thing you decided to do actually turned out alright? Or, maybe, great?
Another way to think about fear is the fear of loving people well or letting them love you. I think sometimes we are scared to open up to our friends or the people around us because we're afraid of inviting others into the sadness or hardship that may be going on within our own lives. By doing this, though, we end up isolating ourselves in our own fears and this leads to more sadness and anxiety. Ugh, so then what do we do??
Personally, I believe that our faith should be greater than our fear. The anxieties, worries, and constant state of fearing for the future should not be allowed to define who we are and how we live every day. I've realized that when I let myself worry about what the future holds, I end up spiraling into a state of contemplation that actually hinders my ability to live and take hold of my life. On the other hand, when I allow myself to have faith that everything that should happen will, I am able to rest in the ambiguity of life with confidence that tomorrow will work itself out in the way that it should. So let me encourage you to stop worrying about tomorrow when all you can do is work hard for today, have some fun, and have faith.
