When you think of the word "fear", what's the first emotion that captures you? Is it sadness, or anger? Are you paralyzed by fear, or galvanized into action? How do you cope?
People everywhere find it hard to cope with fear, and the corresponding emotions it engenders. In the first century A.D., the Apostle Paul advised, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
- 2 Timothy 1:7 New Living Translation
Instead of thinking of "fear" as the enemy, try to think of "F.E.A.R." as a friend. Here at Operation Enduring Light,
"F.E.A.R." stands for:
Forgiveness
We forgive others, because we have been forgiven.
Forgiveness is a choice.
Forgiveness frees the forgiver from emotional bondage to the forgiven.
Forgiveness leads to healing
Endurance
Endurance is evidence of a strong will; a will focused
on a goal that is achievable.
Endurance is needed to withstand suffering.
Endurance leads to growth and achievement.
Acceptance
Acceptance allows us to love those who are
different from us due to race, creed, color, national origin, sex, or religion.
Acceptance of the things we cannot change frees us to use and embrace the many gifts we have been given.
Accepting the gifts we have been given, embracing them,
and using them for the betterment of our fellow man, gives
us an opportunity to live fulfilled lives. We become more
productive citizens.
Acceptance leads to stronger connections between peoples and nations.
Renewal
Each day, we must renew our bodies and minds to "stay
the course, for as long as it takes."
Renewal is the mechanism by which we grow as human
beings, and as a society.
So many times, our lives are crashed. Things happen to us,
which are unavoidable. We don’t know what to do. But there
is a plan in everything. When we take the time to renew our
minds, and hearts, and spirits, we then have the space to
re-invent ourselves! By re-inventing ourselves, we become a
new person, with a new persona.
Renewal leads to progress.
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