You can fool some people some time but, you can never fool yourself. You can tell yourself almost anything to excuse away your fear. The bad news is, you will actually believe it for awhile. The good news is, there will come a time when the excuse will not be strong enough or, big enough to camouflage your fear. Eventually what you tell yourself will begin to sound so weak, so lame, so utterly ridiculous that you will have a hard time convincing yourself or anyone else that it is real. When that time comes don't be defensive. At times, we can be down right indignant when people refuse to accept the things we know are no longer acceptable, plausible or feasible. In other words, there will come a time when even the best of us must face the thing we fear.
As long as there is something you fear lurking in the back of your mind, you cannot, will not, have peace of mind. As long as you have an excuse for limiting, restrictive behaviors in which you engage, peace will elude you. When you find yourself defending yourself for taking or not taking a particular action, you are defying the foundation upon which peace is built. Truth! There is nothing wrong with waiting until you feel ready. There is nothing wrong with doing what you can to prepare yourself to take a leap into the unknown. When however, you do either of these to the point of avoiding what you say you really want to do; when you know you are afraid but refuse to admit it, accept it or confront it, there is no way you can have peace of mind. In fact, if you insist on defending the excuse you may lose your mind.
Until today, you find yourself making excuses for not confronting the things you fear. You may be giving yourself a great excuse for remaining in a relationship, work environment, or living arrangement that is not fulfilling. Just for today, lay down all of your excuses. Ask yourself, "What am I afraid of that makes me stay here?" Make a list of the responses that come to mind. Prayerfully offer the list to the Holy Spirit asking for guidance about the way out. Repeat the process as often as necessary until all excuses vanish from your mind.
Today, I am devoted to eliminating all excuses that camouflage fear!
From Until Today!
by Iyanla Vanzant
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