Fear.

We all experience it. The shortness of breath. Nervousness. Anxiety. And I thought I would write about it.

What is fear? 

There are many different types of fear:

• There's the fear of growing old. What's dying going to be like? Am I going to Heaven or hell? For some of us, the question is, "Is there even an afterlife?" 
• There's the fear of decision. Am I going to make the right decision? What if I make one that will disappoint all those around me? HOW DO I KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG HERE?!
• The fear of fear itself
• The fear of failure
• The fear of rejection
• The fear of being alone
• And most prevalent, the fear of the unknown

But why on earth are we afraid? If we are afraid of all that, that means we are essentially afraid of Life. 

What is life? Live is adventure. Life is the unknown. Life is the unfamiliar. Life is the wonderfully unpredictable. As much as we like to settle down in our Hobbit Holes and pretend that we are in control of our comfy lives, we really aren't. Life is all the things I just mentioned, because God is life. He has given us this life, no? (Yes, yes he has. <-- check that link, its pretty awesome stuff...and it helped to clear a *ton* of doubts I once had about God) And if He has given us this life, He must be in control of it! He is watching over us with the tender love of a father, and he's holding us in the palm of his hand.

This doesn't mean that He's going to make the way of life easy for us; he's going to let us make our own choices, but this is only his way of strengthening our relationship with him. Seems...confusing, right? It's really not. The more we strive to do his will, and make the best choices in our lives, the more he will bless us and continue to reveal his plan for our lives to us. He's not going to leave us alone while we make these choices, mind you; he'll be right there. He's our father, remember?

And besides, he's given us a whole army of helpers to intercede for us and give us help in any way we may need: (Sts. Anthony, Rita, and Michael, anyone?) 

~ St. Therese <3

 “Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven 

fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness. . . . 

They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, 

as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth

through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus . . . . 

So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped.” 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 956

Once we realize this, any fears we may have will have no ground for festering in our minds. God himself promised to take care of us:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13)

And the words of Jesus himself: "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b

Sure, we still still be afraid, and nervous, but take a fresh look at the points we listed above.

• Growing old? We are made for God. Therefore: He will be there when we die. As long as we are in the state of grace(having gone to confession recently), He will love us into eternity with him, even if that love requires a bit of cleaning-up before we enter into communion with him. 
• The fear of decision? As we just saw, he will guide us every step of the way, even if we don't see how. 
• The fear of fear itself? Seems a bit foolish now, eh?
• The fear of rejection? God. Loves. You. He breathed life into you, for Good Gallifrey's sake. You are a treasure. You are enough. You are fearfully and magnificently and fantastically and beautifully and WONDERFULLY made. Re-read that. If you are rejected by a man (or woman) or your parents, or a school, or a job interview, just remember: GOD HAS SOMETHING INFINITELY BETTER IN STORE FOR YOU. And you better get ready, because its going to be awesome. 
• of failure? Scream this to the world: 

  

  Philippians 4:13

• of being alone? Re-read Matthew 28: 20b. (from above) Makes you smile, right?

In no way, shape, or form am I claiming to be a totally relying-upon-God-for-everything person. Heck, I'm writing this whole thing as a way of calming myself down before flying by myself into and out of Winter Storm Hercules this weekend. But now that I have written this, and you've read it, I hope I can join with you in a more optimistic and positive outlook on life. 

Because...La Vita e Bella. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. IT IS MAGNIFICENT. IT IS UNKNOWN. IT IS SCARY. IT IS A JOY. And you know what? It's worth it.