What am I afraid of? When I wake up in the night, what runs around in my head and keeps me from going back to sleep? Looking foolish? Loosing my money? Never making enough money in the first place? Dying? Outliving my money? Public speaking? Judgement by my friends and family? Being uncool? Poor health? Lightening? Loosing my job? Failing an exam? Raising teenagers? Have I hit your hot button yet?Most of my fear has to do with losing something (the exception might be getting a disease but even then I'm really afraid of losing my health). A lot of my fear has to do with other people's opinions of me.
When I stop hanging on to things, I stop being afraid. One way to stop hanging on to things is to understand they never really belonged to me in the first place, I was just a caretaker. They and I were partnered for a brief dance during which we enjoyed each other. Each of us is constantly passing through to another destination. Everything is only a temporary state during which we have the chance to learn, to love, to grow, and to share. If we do those things fully in each dance, we can move gracefully on to the new partner without fear or regret. Every wisdom literature tells this story. Knowing it in my head is one thing. Knowing that truth in my heart and body is another. Knowing is the first lesson to learn in Stewardship 101.
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