THE BALANCE BETWEEN WORLDS

Face your fear.

Do it afraid.

Aphorisms, yes.

But do they resonate?

Do you have fears which, if overcome, could change your life? Or could at least begin to forge a path for you to do so?

Thomas Merton knew something about fear. By paralyzing the spiritual seeker, fear was, in his view, a precursor to despair. And he saw faith as our chance to bear that Cross and transcend its weight to live the fulfilled, productive life for which we are destined.

“This, then, is our desert: to live facing despair, but not to consent. To trample it down under hope in the Cross. To wage war against despair unceasingly.”

Let’s examine our fears. Before we can truly face them, we need to know their root sources. Are they physical fears? Or are they emotional hurdles which, if dissected, could be overcome one at a time?

Spiritual seekers in 12-Step Programs hear at every gathering the Serenity Prayer. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

We need courage in the face of fear. But perhaps this prayer shines light on a formulaic approach to sorting out the fears we need to courageously face and overcome, from the fears we need to let go.

Our everyday lives challenge us to balance between two worlds - the outer world and our interior selves. Encountering people, places and things around us, we live the outward journey. Many, if not most circumstances are beyond our control. We let them go.

Our practice of silence and solitude places us on the inward journey where, conversely, most, if not all circumstances are within our control. It is those which we must face... and find the courage to do so.

Take some time to shift your thinking. When an externality upsets you, you can invoke the Serenity Prayer. What about the circumstance causes you fear? Can you change it? Perhaps you can let the circumstance go but seize the opportunity to face the fear. It’s a worthy undertaking, because that same fear probably sabotages your thinking around many other circumstances. And, if left unchecked, it can grow into despair.

Faith in God, or our Higher Power, can guide us through the darkness. And we can access that faith on our inward journey. Because God resides in you, and in me, and in every human being. Our spirit awaits that Spirit, to get us through fear to the other side. Faith that we can harness that Spirit strikes the balance between worlds.

It’s what set us free.