Opposing Forces: Fear and Hope

What is your deepest fear?

This is a question I often ask people. Fear is something we never want to admit we have yet it has a way of finding itself seeping into our very thoughts and even our feelings. Fear consumes. It drives us to hating those around us and eventually hating ourselves. We hate ourselves because we’re the root of the problem. Somewhere along the way we lost our very being to a monster that wants all of us.

What is my deepest fear?

Being alone. Never fulfilling my calling. Mediocrity. Settling for less than necessary.

I’m afraid of a lot of things.

Living fearless is not about having nothing to be afraid of…living fearless is about overcoming your greatest fears.

Hope is a powerful force. Hope keeps our eyes on the horizon. The only thing is…hope can also be as paralyzing as fear. This is where we find chaos throughout the emotional spectrum. This is where everything collides and we find balance because without it we are left in turmoil.

Hope needs will to operate correctly. Without will, our hopes are in vain.

Hope is very important and ultimately pivotal in living a balanced life. The problem is that once we start to put our hopes in too many sources we start to spread them thin. Hope is only powerful if it is placed in the correct hands.

A TV show I love taught me a way to look at it. A character is asked about her faith and what sets her apart from others that share her faith. Her response is, “I Hope in as few ways as possible.”

In regards to hope and fear being opposing forces…fear focuses us on the past but hope gears our brains toward the future.

Fear keeps us grounded in pain whereas hope gives our wings flight.

Oftentimes, hope gives us second wind through moments of doubt. Doubtful moments breed fear. Emotional circumstances are about escalation. The initial feeling of fear will not break you, it is when you let it grab a hold of your will and let it take control that causes destruction.

In the past I’ve drawn an example that hope is like a band-aid. A band-aid covers up an injury allowing it time to heal. The bandage itself does nothing but cover your eyes to what is happening (yeah it does protect but for the sake of my example bear with me). Every now and then you’ll peel back the band-aid in order to check on the process but otherwise you won’t pay much attention to it and why is that?

Because you expect it to get better on its own without your help. This is the definition of hope.

In the end, Love cannot exist without hope; compassion cannot exist without love. Starting to see the pattern?

The emotional spectrum is vast and many more emotions exist outside of the ones I have mentioned. Willpower is at the center of it all. If you haven’t caught on, willpower is simply self-control and I think you’d agree with me in the fact that it sounds more adventurous calling it willpower.

If we can control our emotions we will have balance and that is what ultimately matters.

If you have control over your emotions you have control over your hearts reaction to situations. It will allow you to cope when things go wrong because you can never stop that from happening. What you can do is have the willpower necessary to make sure you do not overreact…through greed, rage, or fear but instead reach with compassion, love or hope.

   Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking

so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,

we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

- by Marianne Williamson