
I have come to believe that life’s provocations are tools that shape and polish us into a brilliant diamond. But sometimes going beyond my comfort zones is quite scary and twitchy. This is a real challenge for me for I have the tendency to hold on to where I am most at ease and secure. The healthy option tells that I must let go and go with the flow of life otherwise, growth and maturity are always far behind. I have this fear of death in the family. I think there is only one-way to face fear: confront it. It begins with my acceptance to some dynamics of life. Death is a natural phenomenon. People come and go and sometimes leave us behind. On the deeper reflection it is not death that I am afraid of rather, it is the pain that comes with the loss of a loved one. Painful because I want to hold on, I don’t want to let go. But I must let go otherwise I will block the flow of life. I realized that death has something precious to share and it carries with it a sense of urgency; meaning the reality of death puts me in the position of demonstrating my love and affection for my significant others NOW otherwise, it will be too late to express it. It also means that what I have to do to make life a little bit happier and meaningful, I have to do it NOW or life will pass me by. Tomorrow might be too late, now is the time. My fears are indications of a faith-deficient life. At this point in time, my faith is somehow distorted by painful life’s experiences. I feel the need to fortify my faith. After all, it is FAITH that will accompany me through life’s dark journeys. To do this I must nourish my interior life, the center where God dwells. The habitual awareness that God is within strengthens my faith. If God is at the core of my being, then fear has no place. I believe that Love and fear cannot dwell together. I have no greater friend than God – a friend who is always there to listen, always there to comfort me. When I am troubled I believe that God is with me, listening to my every word. If I am grieving over the loss of something or someone, God tenderly holds my hand. If the weight of life’s burden seems too heavy to bear, God carries my burden for me, loving me so much that I have love to share. These realizations cannot happen in an instant unless God will give me the tremendous gift of faith. This is an on-going process. Human as I am, I tend to fail and feel discourage but I can learn to totally and wholeheartedly rely on God’s active presence in my life. I can draw upon the comfort and strength of God at any time…