Be Not Afraid
Conquering Fear Concerning the Future


 


Jesus said, "And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

Matthew 10:28-31


     I have talked to many young adults who are my age about being afraid of the future.  Some of us are trying to discern a religious vocation.  Some of us are up to major college choice decisions.  Some of us are having to give up what we love in exchange for our busy schedule.
    
     Pope John Paul II had one piece of advice for all of us: "Be not afraid."  To not be afraid means to simply be courageous.  Yet being courageous is incredibly challenging when we are frozen by indecision and fear.

     Every person who has fear needs to understand that God holds everything in His hands.  Including every one's future.  God has made our very soul.  We would be remissed if we didn't recognize the fact that the very creator of our souls would have a plan for each soul. 

     To live courageously is to live without worry.  This doesn't mean to live without a care for anything.  It means to live without a care in the world.  Similar to the last post about being a witness, we shouldn't care what the world's opinion of us is.  When we stand before God at our judgement, it will just be us and God.  Not the kid at school who made fun of you for being pure.  Not the friends who laughed at you because you wouldn't go to a immoral movie with them.  Listen...where will the laughter be when God turns to you, beckons, and says "Well done my good and faithful servant." 

     In the parable of the talents, we see three servants treat God's gifts very differently.  The servant that reminds me of my own actions is the one who buries the talents he was given.  We cannot move closer to God when we are frozen solid in fear of losing something.  We will lose things.  We might lose popularity, approval, the "good things of this world."  But what we gain by being courageous is worth so much more.

     BE NOT AFRAID!

God bless you all,

Chloe M.