Dear whoever you may be,

First, accept whatever it is you fear. It's okay to feel fear, even natural. I'm right there with you, and that's why I'm writing about it. There's so much to be afraid of: change, getting your heart broken, losing a loved one, being rejected, public speaking, not being good enough and don't forget about the spiders. See, fear is not a light subject like the spiders might make it seem. Being afraid of the big things is instinct. I think everyone is to some extent, but know that not everyone will understand or sympathize with your fears.

I'm writing to tell you to fight your fears. Fight them with all the strength and resources you can. Search your heart. Where does your strength come from? For me, it's Jesus. Look around you. What people can help you? For me, it's my best friends. The smallest help still counts for something. Look at it like this: you're a feather and your fear is a big fat blob of mud, weighing you down and keeping you stuck in that one spot. It may or may not be a bad spot, but either way, you know it's time to move from that spot. Unfortunately the mud, or your fear, makes it impossible. And since it is mud, you realize that it can't all be gone at once. It will take some strength and resources daily, over a period of time. Look at the rain, probably the best of all your resources. The more it comes around, the less weighed down you are, the less you feel your fears. Let somebody or something be your rain. You don't have to fight alone. Feel the wind, another resource. The stronger it blows, the more free you feel from the mud.

Don't ever make the mistake of thinking you can't get past your fears. You can and you will as you take the journey of finding your inner strength and using those outside resources. Have courage: it's not the absence of fear, but moving forward despite it. I don't know about you, but I'd rather live a life of freedom over fear. There's that saying that you regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did. I believe it! Unfortunately, fear has that stop sign force about it that keeps a person playing it safe. There's no stepping out in faith, there's a lack of joy, and sometimes even a lack of love. Fight it because it's worth fighting, no matter how hard and hopeless it may seem.

From how I see it, fear comes from the devil as a way of his hindrance. So, I've simply gotten to the point where I'm not going to take it. Lately has been my time to fight, and maybe it's yours, too.