How to 'Be Not Afraid'

Amelia Bentrup discusses ways we and our children can conquer our fears and live boldly for Christ. 

Where I live in the Midwest, tornado watches and warnings are a common occurrence this time of year. My 7-year old daughter was already having a rough day, so when the word “tornado” came out of my mouth during a typical midwestern thunderstorm that evening, she started screaming and crying in hysterical fear. Her fear was primal and raw, the type of hysterical fear that takes a hold of one and makes it impossible to think a rational thought (not that 7-year-olds are known for rational thoughts anyway, but this particular moment was especially irrational).  

The Courage of Pentecost 

This past Pentecost Sunday, our priest preached on the words of Saint John Paul II: “Be not afraid.” He talked about how the apostles were hiding in fear in the Upper Room and then the Holy Spirit came upon them and gave them the courage and the fortitude to preach the Gospel to all nations. Despite facing martyrdom and persecution, the early Christians preached the Gospel and did not deny Christ. They did not let fear stop them from doing God’s will.  

It got me thinking about how we can learn to “be not afraid.” While we don’t typically have to face martyrdom and true persecution, there are plenty of other things that bring us great anxiety in our daily lives. Whether it is tornado warnings, financial concerns, health issues or worries about what others will think about us, we have plenty of other things to be afraid of.  

Two Ways to Leave Fear Behind 

So how do we learn to “Be not afraid?” I wish I had this all figured out, but I certainly do not. However, as someone who has struggled with being afraid quite a lot, I have found a few things that help me slowly move more and more into not afraid territory.  

Pray

Prayer is one of the powerful important tools we have to fight anxiety and worry. The Surrender Novena is especially powerful for dealing with anxiety. This beautiful prayer reminds us that God is in charge of our lives and we can surrender ourselves to Him and His holy will. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you peace and guidance in your life.   

We can also turn to the saints for guidance and help in praying through our anxiety and worry.  

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices. (Saint Teresa of Avila)

I also take great comfort in the words Our Blessed Mother said to Juan Diego at Guadalupe: 

“Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything.” 

I am sure the early Christians and the saints felt fear. Fears is such a natural and normal human emotion. But they took their fear to Christ and learned to overcome it. They did not let fear dictate their lives; rather, their lives overcame their fear. 

Do Scary Things

The second powerful tool we have to fight anxiety is to do scary things: not dangerous things, but scary things. It doesn’t even have to be related to your anxieties and worries. Sometimes just the act of doing something else we find a little bit scary, but that we feel called to do, is all it takes to help conquer other fears.  

This tip can be especially helpful for children. One particular child of mine is especially prone to fear. She would have trouble falling asleep at night and would not want to sleep in her room by herself. However, we noticed that her fears involving nighttime and sleeping by herself started to abate after starting horseback-riding lessons, an activity she really wanted to do, but also found a bit scary. Just the act of conquering her fear in one aspect of life and taking part in an activity she really wanted to do helped her to be less anxious overall.   

This obviously does not have to involve horseback riding. There are so many other scary things in life that can bring great reward. This could mean calling up someone out of the blue or going out of our comfort zone to visit someone we wouldn’t otherwise visit. Perhaps a walk in the woods or driving in a strange city is something we find scary, but this could otherwise bring great reward. For children, this could mean climbing a really tall slide or jumping in the deep end of a pool (with adult supervision, of course). Encouraging our children to do scary things that will bring great reward can help prepare them for adult life and following the will of God, even when that seems scary.  

The early Christians and martyrs did not live life in the safe zone. Rather, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they boldly lived for Christ and even died for Him. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we too can live boldly for Christ and slowly move into the “not afraid” zone. 

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Copyright 2024 Amelia Bentrup
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