It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your front door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.
― Bilbo Baggins, The Lord of the Rings
In my last post I talked about how we hide in our caves to avoid the dangerous world. Our world is not safe, so when we don’t find the security we’re craving, we retreat inward.
That cave of safety is a barrier. It insulates us from healthy risks, new adventures, and new relationships. The cave enables us to avoid expansion.
You see the secret is this: anxiety grows us. When we embrace our fear, when we wrap our arms around it and draw it close, we are transformed by that embrace.
If you want to change, you have to embrace your fear, and if you want to embrace your fear, you have to listen to it. Become a really good soul listener.
Stop creating busyness to distract you from the anxiety. Pay attention to what the fear is saying, about you, and how you view yourself, about others, and how you’re afraid they view you. Ask yourself, “What am I really afraid of?” “What’s the worst that could happen if I emerge from my cave?”
The beautiful reality is this, when we embrace the anxiety it diminishes. When we lean into the tension, it fades. We may even hear ourselves saying, “That wasn’t so bad.” “I’m so glad I took that risk.”
As you peer out of Chicken Little’s cave, instead of witnessing falling skies, you may see a bountiful crop of acorns blanketing the ground. Where destruction is expected, there’s provision instead.
Go then, friends. Emerge from your cave with courage and embrace your fear. Listen to it—and as you listen may you also hear the voices of freedom, creativity, resilience, and joy.