Monday, August 9, 2010

Meditation: Fear II

The wise person in the storm prays God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear. It is the storm within which endangers us, not the storm without.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Since this is a weakness of mine, I can never have too many reminders to let go and stop worrying.  In an effort to build character I am trying to have the strength and courage to face whatever comes with grace and dignity rather than cowering in fear.  I have a tendency to avoid things that are uncomfortable for me - I dislike confrontation and I often glaze things over rather than deal with them.  But there is no growth in that, is there?  Certainly, when it comes to most things, my fear makes me my own worst enemy.

It's also a challenging thing, learning how to pray wisely.  I believe that there is a God and that He hears us and wants to help us.  I think prayers can be a powerful thing - but I also believe it makes a difference how you pray.  I'm still working on that - how to pray in a way that is humble, yet empowering and how to really nurture a relationship with deity.  Like so many things worth doing, it is a ongoing process.  How do you teach these things to a child when you're still trying to figure them out for yourself?

1 comment:

Kendra said...

I am a worrier as well... must be a family thing. And although I don't have kids, I think sometimes you can learn from them because of their innocence - especially because us adults can be so complicated sometimes! So maybe this becomes a "what do you think?" learning/ teaching moment?