Fear Is A Powerful Force
Understanding both familiar and unfamiliar people is crucial for navigating life. Acquiring the wisdom to collaborate with others isn’t easy, and many resort to control and manipulation.
One method of control is instilling fear. If I can make you afraid of me and the God I believe in, I have established a significant control mechanism. When I say that God will reject you if you do this or that, I am essentially expressing that I will reject you based on your actions. I become your God through the image I create in your mind, using fear and trepidation. You serve God based on what I say and omit, which leads to the formation of a religious circle.
Religion can often be abusive, controlling, and rooted in fear, making it not always a safe environment to raise children or become deeply involved in. Thus, it’s essential to approach these matters with caution. On a positive note, you may have experienced many good friendships and connections with fellow believers who have treated you well.
Fear is a powerful force that we encounter daily on Earth. Those who believe they represent God's views can be even more intimidating than one might expect. People, for the most part, are gullible and will accept almost anything someone says until they cease to feel anything at all. Therefore, it is important to share your heart and journey with others—not to control them, but simply to say, "This is the path I’m on, and this is what I have done."
Along your journey, you will experience many highs and lows, ups and downs, good times and bad, and perhaps a few miracles along the way. I’ve made wrong turns and seemingly right choices, constantly looking to God to understand why certain things happened and how I managed to get some things so right. I have learned that no one is right all the time, and that even a blind squirrel can find a nut.
Everyone has something to say, and it’s essential to listen slowly and carefully to uncover the truth in their words. Your journey is unique, but it is one shared by many others who have faced similar ups and downs. You are not alone in your spiritual journey.
You can use a strainer to separate the truth from someone's numerous words, and you might discover an ounce of truth at the end. It's a slippery slope coming down the mountainside, and the climb to the top is treacherous. But who really knows whether you should stand at the bottom of the mountain? It’s all a matter of perspective.
If I'm at the mountain top or in the valley, my experience is all about how I view it. Sometimes, when I feel good, I think I've finally reached the mountain top, and when I feel low, I believe I'm back in the valley. The truth is, you inhabit both places and everything in between, and you have the power to choose where your reality resides.
There is no true sense of ascending or descending; you exist in each moment, and everything within that moment is a part of you. Nothing has changed except for the way you perceive it. Decide today to take control of your own reality, living authentically with and through yourself. Do you see it? Your beliefs shape your thoughts. Don’t surrender your power to anyone else; it is yours and yours alone. Amen.