"Fear is the little death..."

My entire problem, I realize, is fear. Fear of being wrong, hurt, rejected. Fear of losing the people closest to my heart. Fear of ending up alone.

Sometimes, though, duty comes first. Over my fear, and over my weakness.

This calls to mind an old passage from a series I've come to appreciate:

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
--The Litany Against Fear, from Frank Herbert's Dune series

The thing about grace is that it comes even in our weakest moments, giving us the strength to do things that we thought to be impossible. I need to keep reminding myself that He is stronger than my weakness, and stronger than my fear.

If my Faith is true--and it is--I am called to live it completely. That includes speaking the truth, no matter what the consequences may be...