The monster under the bed

There is a lot of fear about these days: fear of the economy failing, fear of job loss, fear of a foreign aggressor taking our peaceful existence from us, or the fear of McDonalds “two fish fillets for a $1” being discontinued. It just seems to be everywhere. So in a country that is driven by its consumerism I have to ask the question, “Who’s making a living off of all this fear?”

I have seen people over the years whose lives are ruled by fear. Every decision they make or don’t make comes at the hand of fear. It becomes their constant companion in the night, and in a strange sort of way, their sick friend during the day. They won’t go anywhere without him and in fact they take better care of him than themselves.

Fear becomes their excuse for why they don’t or why they won’t. Fear becomes their reason for why they are where they are and why they never expect to be where they want to be. The only one making a living from all this fear is fear itself. It is simply an old wives tale that blows away in the wind when we refuse to feed it. It holds no power over us if we don’t let it. It is simply the monster under the bed that exists only in our minds.

What we really need is someone to show us the shadows on the walls in our darkened room are only shadows. It's just like a child’s imagination playing tricks on itself giving life to what doesn’t exist.

Maybe one of the greatest quotes ever is

“Don’t be afraid, just believe”
-Jesus

It may take some time to accomplish, but it is developed as we walk down the trail of life. The more we see, recognize and understand what little there is to fear. The faster we will be transformed by not being afraid. Greek philosopher Epictetus said, “What ought one to say then as each hardship comes? I was practicing for this, I was training for this.”

How we see the present is directly affected by how we see our journey’s purpose. If we see our purpose to be no more than to put in our time we are limited to the tangible items our world offers us. If we see our purpose to discover who we were created to be everyday is an opportunity to turn a corner that will reveal a new victory. If we expect the hardship, the trial, the test, than what Epictetus said becomes our strength. This is what we trained for. Jesus said, “In this life we will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world.” So the door is open. The secret is out. “There is nothing to fear, but fear itself.” The monster under the bed has been exposed. He is not real!

You have no more excuses for not really living life. “Don’t be afraid, just believe”

Check out this video about Bobby McMullen. In a world he can't see he knows no fear.