Fear Not

By Karen Biggs, St. John Stephen Minister

Isaiah 41:10

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Fear Not by Karen Biggs

Fear, how fickle you are.

You keep me safe one moment

And paralyze me the next.

You collaborate with my instinct to survive

Yet keep me from living my best.

A paradox of emotion and impulse.

Teasing out the imperative is oh so tricky.

But tell me really, have you gone overboard?

Must I be afraid of quite so much?

Must it consume my thoughts and control me so?

Fear, you four-letter word, I think you’ve tricked me.

You’ve twisted the message & have me under your thumb.

FEAR OF not being loved, 

Of losing a love, of being left alone,

Of rejection, of failure, 

Of change, of being stagnant,

Of not being cool, coming in last,

Of coming out, others finding out.

Of being too short, too tall, 

Too weird, too fat, too thin, 

FEAR OF humiliation, of getting caught,

Of losing my way, of being irrelevant.

Of harm done, of repercussions.

Of accidents, discrimination, and tough conversations.

Of being ignored, the last one picked, or not being picked at all.

FEAR OF death, disease, disability, 

Of losing my mind, of not enough time,

Of aging poorly and being poor.

What shall I do with all of this?

I will pull out the sword of truth that guides me on the right path,

That makes me notice the nuances, opening my eyes,

With courage to wave the banner of authenticity.

I will take the wind out of fear’s sails with prayer,

Connecting, at-one-ing with the Love-Source.

Embracing the will of the Be-ing that spun the galaxies into place.

I will be strengthened in my tribe who helps bear my burden.

People-ing, reaching, engaging, sharing, holding,

Designed to help one another.

I will be brave and face my futile fears bit by bit:

Chipping them away until they are mere sediment

Deconstructing that once insurmountable dam.

I will think of good things, beautiful things

Noble things, lovely and admirable things

To nourish my soul and buoy me up into fresh air. 

I will breathe and let magical music restore me

Engage the senses, delight the mind

Enliven me to tap and twirl here and in my head-space.

I will love myself, take care of myself

With gentle nourishment, validation of my worth, a soothing soak,

Tender concern, peaceful sleep, pillows of compassion.

I will be supported by my Maker who is with me wherever I go.

Never alone, right there, always here, my pilot

Ever present, all-knowing. I reach out and we hold hands.

I will trust in God who strengthens me, who helps me when I’m afraid.

The keeper of time and holder of reality

Reassures me with a star-sparkled future in His presence. 

Faithful Maker, You do not wish us to live in fear, but into Your fullness. Grace us with courage — a gift from You. Thank you for loving us and for being with us and in us. You are the breath in our lungs and we sing Your praise. Amen.