“Be not afraid”

Fears are part of learning, part of living, part of life. Fear of harsh consequences keeps us from making serious blunders. It keeps us working hard for good results. It motivates us to exercise good judgment always.

We can, indeed, be wiser and safer by heeding our fears. We can be more productive, too. Fear can make us more thoughtful of our involvements; and prompt us to be more conscientious in our undertakings, lest we will fail. In the area of relationships, we become more devoted to our loved ones, for fear of losing them.

All of us have fears, no matter how self-assured or solid some of us may appear to be on the surface. The only difference is that some people do better in either concealing or in dealing with their fears than do others. It’s a survival art.

And yet, there are those who will swear of not being afraid of the very things that frighten others. They can’t explain it, but they’re just not afraid. The feeling of security seems natural, innate. It’s like some subconscious assurance that whatever risks or horrors there may be, these do not matter in the bigger scheme of things.

As far as I can remember, I am never afraid of being in a cemetery, even at a very young age and being alone there at an unholy hour. Instead of the usual thoughts of stiff, emaciated bodies coming out of the graves, my mind would be filled with questions about the purpose and meaning of this transient, earthly existence. It is always a special comfort to me to think that one day all will be over; the heavily-laden will find relief from their burden, and the privileged will see that what they had was just a sampler of the eternal comforts awaiting everyone.

I don’t mean to sound morbid. On the contrary, I am saying this with enthusiasm and brightness of feeling. Life is so short, for us all, that we must make the most of it while we’re here. Such thought is enough to send us trying to do the most we can with our time. Why watch life happen, shivering behind closed windows, when we can go out and live it in joyous participation?

I may not join a rappelling group going down some dark cave in Balamban. But, anytime, you may enlist me in an outreach mission to some God-forsaken tribal community in the mountains of Cotabato. I’m not saying that a service activity is more exciting than a nature trek; it’s just what my heart is more into.

It is wise to always have our hesitations and our fears in check; to understand what makes us cow out from life. Why do we dread taking or making a certain phone call? Why are we avoiding a certain person or issue? Why are we keeping ourselves too busy, what are we trying to run away from?

At times our fears hinder us from doing what we need to do. This is the downside, an extreme that is all too common. We withhold our kindness from our poor neighbors, because they might grow dependent on us. We avoid showing our affection to our loved ones, because they might become abusive. Unsure of what the outcome of our good deeds will be, we hold ourselves back.

Our experience of life depends upon how we regard our day-to-day events — either with joyful expectancy or with fearful apprehension. With expectancy, living can be much fun. With apprehension, life becomes a nightmare.

Our fears are a good indication of our relationship with ourselves — how much we trust our abilities to handle the challenges of living. They are a good measure of our faith in God, too. Especially in these difficult times, when the race is about who will go the farthest or the craziest, we need to trust in a Power much greater than all the human forces combined, in order to maintain our balance.

Pope John Paul II had repeatedly reiterated a comforting Biblical instruction: “Be not afraid.” I don’t take that to mean total denial of fear. We should go on heeding our fears in ways where they serve to make us cautious and careful in all our endeavors.

The Christ, appearing to His apostles after the Resurrection, had said those very words: “Be not afraid, it is I.” This means two things to me — a reminder for us to put our trust in the Lord, and a proof of God’s keeping His promise never to forsake us. Indeed, not even Jesus’ physical death on the cross has separated Him from His people.

We have been assured: “No one will stray so far away from me that I will not hear when he calls.” If we only put our trust in that promise, we will have rest. We will have no reason to be afraid.  (E-MAIL: [email protected])