You’ve probably heard the phrase,
“Faith and fear cannot coexist”…
But is it true?
I had a moment this week when some painful memories surfaced, and I felt a surge of fear rush through my body.
My throat tightened.
My stomach clenched.
My breathing stopped.
Tears sat right at the surface.
I was caught in the pain of the past…
and the fear it could repeat itself in the future.
(That feeling of being out of control is so real when our fears involve other people’s behavior.)
This kind of emotional flashback used to happen to me multiple times a day.
It’s far less common now… but my goodness, do I know those body sensations like a well-worn path.
I used to freeze and spend the day caught up in the fear.
But not anymore.
Fear and I have a different relationship now.
One where both my fear and my faith are welcome… at the same time.
Instead of staying closed and frozen—
judging the fear and wanting it to go away…
I open.
I relax my body.
I let the energy move through.
And I turn toward the part of me that’s afraid with love.
“Hello there, dear.
I know you’re afraid right now.
It’s okay to feel fear. Let it be here.
I love and accept you.
You are welcome here.”
In a way, it’s the part of me that has deep faith…
embracing the part of me that still gets scared.
And when both are allowed to be here together in love…
the fear naturally softens, and my body returns to neutral.
This week’s Practicing Wholeness Podcast is all about how to work with fear instead of fighting against it.
The more I’ve made friends with my fear, the more my faith has grown.
Faith that my future will be better than my past.
Faith that the world is a good place.
Faith that I can feel safe in my body… and in my relationships.
Faith that I really am healing and creating the life I want to live.
Maybe fear and faith don’t cancel each other out.
Maybe they work together.
And maybe making space for both is one of the keys to real peace.
You are loved.
Both the fearful part of you
and the faithful part.
They both belong.
Namaste,
brooke
P.S. If this sounds great in theory but impossible in practice, I’d love to support you. I’m gifting two complimentary coaching sessions this month to anyone in my community needing support. Maybe one of them is for you? Check it out here.