How To Overcome Fear – Part 3
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
Don’t allow what you can’t do to interfere with what you can do. Boxing manager Cus D’Amato said, ‘The hero and the coward both feel the same fear, but the hero uses his fear and projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs. It’s the same fear; it’s what you do with it that matters.’ Most negative emotions can be converted into something positive to help us get further in life. Are you afraid of poverty? Convert it into a work ethic. Are you afraid of greediness? Convert it into generosity. Are you afraid of rejection? Convert it into the ability to connect with people. Are you afraid of insignificance? Convert it to the service of others. As economist Roger Babson remarked, ‘If things go wrong, don’t go with them.’ Instead, seek a new way to do it. You can turn your life around by taking the thing that once created fear, and using that energy to do something worthwhile. There are many things in life you can’t control, and there’s no good reason to worry about those things. Writer Harold Stephens said, ‘There’s a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem; a concerned person solves a problem.’ How can you become a problem-solver? By focusing on the things you can control. And the first one is your attitude. Remember, what happens to you isn’t nearly as important as what happens in you. The second is your calendar. You may not be able to control today’s circumstances, but you can do your best to plan the time you have. Most of us fear the future because we don’t prepare for it.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to focus on the things I can control and not on the things I cannot. In Jesus’ Name, Amen