What's preventing you from achieving your dreams?

If you answered "time," you may already be on the track to making your dreams come true. If you answered "fear," you probably recognize that fear is one of the greatest challenges we all face--more about that in a moment.

Time is the tool we all use constantly, whether or not we recognize it.

Anything worthwhile will require both time and energy. The worthier the endeavor, the effort to achieve it will be exponentially greater.

Maintaining loving relationships is a discipline that requires effort, attention and commitment. Lasting love grows from sincere efforts devoted over time. The short-lived, love-at-first-sight variety of affection has to pass the same test of endurance. It's pure fantasy for anyone to believe he can enter and maintain relationships with minimal effort.

What is the major barrier in life and relationships?

Control, deceit, anger, covenant breaking, neglect and abuse all stem from insecurity. When a person fears loss of love, his actions become self-centered. This inward focus is incompatible with love. John reminds us that there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. He that fears is not made perfect in love.

The word fear has changed from its original meaning. The Old English "faer" referred to ambush or a disaster suffered. The meaning shifted to the dread of an event. The Sanskrit "per" meant to go through. If you think about it, fear never looks the same after you've passed through it.

Mark Twain said, "I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened."

Fear doesn't change facts--it obscures clear vision. Fear is usually a distortion of reality. Dread of an event magnifies its dangers and pitfalls and minimizes any benefits that might come. A person acting out of apprehension wastes energy in worry. His efforts are misplaced on self-preservation and unnecessary contingencies.

A dread is a self-fulfilling prophecy. A fearful person avoids reality in many ways. He will avoid confrontation, use blame and intimidation and use fantasy as an escape, rather than deal with real issues. All of these tactics lead to the breakdown that erodes love and trust.

Love is an act of affirmation. Paul told Timothy, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Don't let fear rob you of your dreams.
 
 

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