Be Not Afraid – Tony Agnesi

“If anyone on the verge of action should judge himself according to the outcome, he would never begin. Even though the result may gladden the whole world, that cannot help the hero; for he knows the result only when the whole thing is over, and that is not how he became a hero, but by virtue of the fact that he began.” — Søren Kierkegaard from Fear and Trembling

I read a while back that the Bible has 365 uses of the phrase “fear not” or “be not afraid.” I haven’t been able to verify that, but I can tell you that it is one of the most used themes in the bible.

Fear, it is the one emotion that keeps us from trying new things, achieving our goals, and taking the first step. The status quo is comfortable. We fear change. We don’t have to think or plan and we become paralyzed. Our inactions breed fear and doubt.

There’s an old adage that the only people that like change are wet babies! And, it’s true. Most people would rather stay right where they are, in a comfortable rut, fearful they might make a mistake.

We want to return to college, but, we fear it will take too long to finish.

We want to get a new job, but just can’t get around to updating that resume.

We want to meet new people, find friends and maybe even someone that we can spend the rest of our lives with, but we are too afraid to sign up on a dating site.

The same holds true with our faith. We want to be better Christians, better Catholics. We want to do more, pray more, get involved in activities, ministries, but we just fear taking the first step.

The problem with that thinking is that time will pass either way. You might as well get started.

[pullquote]The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

The LORD is with me; I am not afraid; what can mortals do against me? Psalm 118:6[/pullquote]

The hardest thing to do is to take the first step. But, what are we afraid of? We have God’s word that he with us, our refuge, our strength and salvation. Shouldn’t that be a good enough reason to start?

Here are a few things we can do to get the ball rolling.

Take baby steps. Sit down and write down the things you want to do. Then break it down into small steps, and take the first one right away.

Do you want to improve your prayer life, then add a morning offering, or an extra Hail Mary, or recite the chaplet while you drive to work?

Do you want to get a new job, then, spend 30 minutes updating your resume, but do it today?

Be moving in the direction of your goals. As you begin, make sure that you are always moving in a positive direction. Try not to get into the two steps forward, one step back trap. When you complete one baby step, immediately move on to the next.
Ask yourself, “What have I got to lose?” Remember, the time will pass still if you don’t take action, but what will it cost you if you do nothing?

Come on, you can do it! You’ve got God on your side. Get up, and get going, right now.

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