Be Not Afraid
Last week, I spent time with my family for the holiday. I had watched a special telling of the Christmas story before arriving to my Dad’s home and was so moved by it that we watched it again together. Then, Christmas Eve was a beautiful candlelit Christmas concert at church where the Christmas story was read by my childhood pastor.
As he was reading through Luke 2 during the service, a phrase became so loud to me: “Be not afraid.”
The admonition is said often throughout the events that lead up to Jesus’ birth — when the angel appears to Mary, when a messenger shares God’s unusual plan with Joseph, when the good news is shared with the shepherds, and even whenever Mary and Joseph have to flee to Egypt for a time before returning to Nazareth.
At every critical point in perhaps the most miraculous course of events in history, we see fear arise and threaten to derail the plan. And yet each time, the individuals choose to silence their fear and courageously embrace belief.
BE NOT AFRAID: TO LET GO
If you know the Christmas story, you realize the sacrifice that it took for many of the primary figures to play their role. Mary had to let go of traditional notions of what marriage and building a family would look like from the very start. And eventually, she even had to be willing to surrender her son’s life for the good of humanity.
Joseph had to release his concern with the judgment of others who didn’t understand the non-traditional way his family came to be. And even had to give up being the primary and only father to his first born son.
The shepherds were asked to overcome shame and isolation in order to be the primary distribution channel for God’s world-changing news. And the wise men from the East had their lifelong notions of wisdom and understanding shaken to the core whenever they finally discovered a treasure in the form of a vulnerable infant.
To turn from fear necessarily requires surrender. It requires that we examine our attachment to identity, ego, stories, and internal and external ways of being. It requires us to be honest with ourselves about why we cling so tightly to our belief, what it will cost us to lay it down, and whether we are really willing to transform it.
In my own life, I’m reflecting on the fear of betting on myself in relation to work. For so long, my belief has been that I am really valuable at serving others — working in companies, advising leaders, building teams and strategies for organizations. But my fear is that I cannot do that for myself. That my skills, knowledge and talents are insufficient for what I feel called to build and be in the world, and ultimately, I will fail.
Where did this belief originate? (or perhaps when …)
What do I gain by clinging to this belief?
What will it cost me to transform this belief?
Am I willing to transform it?
These are the questions that I’m daring to ask myself. If you are up bumping up against any fears in your own journey, I hope you’ll have the courage to ask these brave questions of your own soul.
BE NOT AFRAID: TO STEP INTO THE NEW
I sometimes imagine these unhelpful narratives as trinkets in the box of my life. The fears are heavy, oddly shaped and take up just the wrong amount of space. The limiting beliefs that I cling to are a nuisance as well. Sticky, slimy putty that discolors the whole box and ruins anything that I put inside. The fears and beliefs make putting anything valuable into the box both frustrating and pointless. Whenever I do drop in a positive happening or a new insight, it quickly becomes mired by the fears and limiting beliefs that dominant that space.
So what if rather than just attempting to clean out the box bit by bit, I was willing to open a new box?
This is often what transforming belief can be like. And I think it’s likely how the figures in the Christmas story decided to view their lives. Rather than cling to a traditional notion of “father”, Joseph embraced his role as caretaker, steward and guide to the Christ. Instead of giving into overly protective tendencies, Mary decided to mother in a way that gave Jesus the love, freedom and presence that enabled his ministry.
I believe that beliefs are transformed through a building process, a ritual, if you will. That belief is built, day after day, through consistency of practice.
So as I consider how to transform the fear in my own life, I consider new practices that will demonstrate to my old way of being that I am in fact who my soul is calling me to be.
How will I create a daily routine to empower the person who I wish to be?
What will I input / consume that will build this belief? (i.e. readings, scriptures, affirmations)
What will I do whenever I feel my fear getting loud?
Who can I invite into this transformation to offer support to me? (i.e. a friend to catch my negative self-talk, etc.)
As we ring in the New Year, my deepest prayer for you, dear friend, is for freedom. That you will have the courage to let go of that fear, limiting belief, old story, or stale identity that may be standing in the way of your freedom. And that this will be the year that you embrace a new found life that is centered on love of self and others, and belief in self and others.
Throwing away that old box may feel like death. But the painful truth is that holding onto it is what’s really killing you.
Everything we are, everything we desire, and everything that is meant to be ours is on the other side of this fear. Let’s look it straight in the face and name it for what it is. Whenever we do, it loses its power. And begins to transform. Into love, into belief, into hope, into freedom.
If you’re ready to release 2023 and create 2024, download the reflection guide here and get a FREE 2024 planning guide.