What do we really fear?

 Welcome to Daily Miracles, a running commentary on the 365 lessons of A Course in Miracles, an influential spiritual text from the 1970s. I am James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as I go through this material for the first time. 

Lesson 160

I am at home. Fear is the stranger here. (ACIM, W-160)

Recently I contemplated that our ideas about "bad," "evil," etc. are due to growth. We are eternal beings, but we grow. The universe keeps expanding - growing - and so does the inner world of our consciousness.

 

At various stages of growth, we may feel some things more intensely than at other times and create words to express our feelings.

Fear isn't about the fight/flight/freeze animal instinct to biologically survive. Fear is about words. Fear is about what others think of us. We fear embarrassment, ridicule, scorn, and being looked down on. We fear not being able to "fit in" with the social constructs, institutions, and systems of the society we were born into. We fear that being ourselves is unacceptable. 

But all that fear delays our growth in consciousness. It delays our joy, our sense of peace, and our ability to love.

When, in fact, there was never a reason to fear anything.

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support! You may contact him for your writing, editing, and research needs: jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.

(Photo credit: Ivoronwik)