Monday Musings: Setting Aside Fear
Monday, September 21, 2009 at 12:01AM 
Another zinnia (the profuse bloomer this time of year) from our garden
Birthdays and death days. Both remind us how little power we have. Both present us with infinite opportunities to either love or fear. To the extent that we choose love, the puniness of our material power is replaced by a power that comes not from us but through us..... Real power is usually unspectacular, a simple setting aside of fear that allows the free flow of love. But it changes everything. — from How to Tap Your Power by Martha Beck in O Magazine
I also like what she has to say about the difference between fear and love in this article:
FEAR
Always feels bad
Motivates grasping
Seizes control
Insists on certainty
Needs everything
LOVE
Always feels good
Motivates liberation
Relaxes control
Accepts uncertainty
Needs nothing
The process of spotting fear and refusing to obey it is the source of all true empowerment.
This week, and every day really, I'm committed to choosing love over fear.
Reader Comments (3)
this post is fantastic, thank you for sharing. i choose love, too.
Dear Shannon,
When I taught Christian Lifestyles at an all-girl private school, these were important concepts for the girls to get. Your poem would have been very handy then. I still hear from many of my students and will pass it on. Thank you. Someday, you're going to have to tell us what camera and settings you use to get these amazingly detailed images. Peace,
Diane
To be clear, I guess it was Martha Beck's poem, from O Magazine. It sounds like something you would have written. Peace,
Diane