“Danger is real but fear is a choice.” Apostle Peter Michael Martinez
Face Your Fears
Fear is a fascinating topic. There is no shortage of analysis, opinions, strategies, self help books, classes, and discussions surrounding this topic. People can be paralyzed by it or greatly motivated by it. People are so wrapped up in an emotion that they don’t stop to contemplate one simple question, is fear an emotion or is fear an action?
Overcoming fear begins with understanding what we can control and what we don’t control. We all have a programmed flight or fight response. Our heart starts racing, our pupils dilate, our blood pressure increases, and our breathing rate quickens! This response is triggered automatically by our nervous system in acute stress moments that prepares us to run or fight. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you what most people describe as fear is nothing more then your body’s programmed response to a stressful situation.
I’m not pretending to be a psychologist or a psychiatrist and I certainly do not want to be insensitive to those who struggle with panic attacks, PTSD, or other psychological disorders that occur as a result of trauma. In my life I have seen and been exposed to the stuff of nightmares so I can appreciate the challenge overcoming that trauma can be.
Here is what I do know, I cannot count the number of times my body has had an involuntary response to stress but I can tell you that what I did in that moment determined whether or not I was fearful or courageous.
It is your actions that determine whether or not you are a fearful person. Overcoming fear requires courage. Courage is not the absence of emotion, it is what we do in the moment regardless of our emotion that makes us courageous. Take action in your life! Do not live as a prisoner to your past. Whatever your fear or fears are face them. And do it one step at a time.
Conquering fear looks like choosing to smile after all the pain you’ve endured. Choosing to believe when others have lost faith. Choosing to move forward when you have every excuse to retreat.
So may time people get overwhelmed at the thought of taking action they never begin. But instead of not moving start small. Maybe you don’t conquer the mountain today but maybe today is the first step you take in conquering that mountain!
“Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.” – W. Clement Stone
