Welcome.
Today we're going to meditate on how to overcome fear using God's word.
I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant and their faces shall never be ashamed.
Psalm 34 4 of 5.
As we begin this meditation,
Prepare yourself into a nice and comfortable position.
Allow your hands to rest wherever they fall most naturally,
Either in your lap or on your knees or by your sides.
Allow your shoulders to roll back away from the ears and when you feel settled,
Gently close your eyes.
And now take a slow deep breath in through the nose and a long slow breath out through the mouth.
Again,
Breathing in fully,
Hold,
And breathing out slowly.
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
And one last time,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Now as you allow your breath to settle,
Take a moment to check in with your physical body.
So notice any sensations.
Focus on each part of your body,
Noticing how it feels today.
And recognize any areas that may feel tense.
And send your breath to any areas that may need the extra attention today.
Allow your breath to soothe those areas.
Imagine the air you are breathing into these parts of your body is relieving all your tension and discomfort.
So all you need to do is breathe deeply,
Spending a few moments with your body and using this time to soothe and rejuvenate any tension you are carrying.
And as you do this,
Thoughts may arise,
Memories may emerge,
Sensations may appear,
And all this is a part of the practice.
If you are experiencing fear right now,
There will likely be thoughts and feelings that attempt to pull your attention away from the breath.
And when this happens,
Notice it instead of resisting it or changing it,
And lay it down before God.
Even if that resistance or thinking about changing it is another thought or perception in the mind,
See if you can be welcoming of these thoughts and feelings.
Allow them to come and then go before returning to your breath.
Now imagine you are outdoors on a warm sunny day.
The sky above you is bright blue,
Just a few occasional clouds passing by.
Feel the warmth on your skin.
It is helping you to relax all your muscles.
Allow the soothing sensation of this warm air to flow through your body,
Starting from the top of your head down to your toes.
Enjoy the warmth calmly taking over now,
Relaxing your whole body.
And imagine you are walking through a field of fresh green grass and vibrant flowers.
Take a deep breath and smell the nature around you.
Smell the beautiful fragrant flowers,
The cedar trees.
Allow them to bless you with their gentle yet sweet charm.
Now see yourself lying down on the soft grass,
Surrounded and relaxed by this vast field of life.
You are enjoying the sun,
Enjoying the gentle refreshing breeze that tickles your skin.
Feel even more relaxed and rejuvenated as you continue to rest in this beautiful and peaceful place.
And now allow yourself to bring to mind what fear means to you.
So you can do this by giving fear a shape,
A color,
Texture or a name.
Notice how it makes you feel picturing fear.
Are there any emotions that arise to the surface?
Know that any feelings you may be experiencing in this moment are totally okay.
You are safe here.
Take a couple of deep breaths to remain in your body and keep your mind grounded.
And you can even acknowledge to yourself,
I am scared,
I am afraid.
Because when we note what we think or feel,
There is a sense of having dealt with these difficult emotions,
Which makes it easier to release that fear.
And now try to notice where fear is located in your body.
So maybe it's in your belly,
Your chest or your throat.
Wherever it may be,
Just picture where you can feel fear most in your body and send your calm and soothing breaths to this area.
Feel yourself becoming more relaxed and more comfortable as you continue to breathe.
Even though I walk through the valley of a shadow of death,
I will fear no evil for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff,
They comfort me.
Psalm 23 4.
The Lord is my light to my salvation.
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is a stronghold of my life.
Of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27 1.
We give power to our fears by trying to hide from them.
But there are ways of working with your fear and it is about trying to name your fear and then releasing it.
After all,
Fear is a very natural and primitive human emotion.
It is actually there to protect us.
So be kind to yourself for being afraid.
Approach fear with friendliness.
And when you attend to your fear,
Ask yourself the following questions.
What's the worst that can happen?
Can I do anything to change a situation that frightens me?
Is this fear tied with memories or past experiences?
Am I afraid of something happening now that happened before or that I think will happen in the future?
So just take a moment to sit with your fear.
Notice how it feels in your body.
Does your breathing change when you feel afraid?
Do you experience any physical sensations?
And maybe there is an arc to your fear where it increases,
Peaks,
And then subsides.
So just simply observe without any judgment.
And if you stay with your fear,
Neither grasping onto it nor trying to get rid of it,
Maybe you find other feelings beneath or within the fear.
So just simply observe.
And at this moment,
You may find some thoughts lingering in your mind.
Instead of trying to suppress them,
Allow them to float about in your mind,
Noting and observing any feelings you feel.
So whatever these thoughts are,
Simply acknowledge your existence before letting them go.
We will never remove all fears from our lives.
As long as we can remain compassionate and friendly lives,
As long as we can remain compassionate and friendly with our fears,
We can approach them without getting caught up in them.
We are equipped by God to manage feelings of fear.
With a little distance,
We can adopt a calmer and more tranquil perspective.
We can experience fear in our bodies and still find peace within it.
Now it is time to gently reawaken your body and mind,
Keeping your eyes closed,
Noticing the sounds around you,
Feel the floor beneath you,
Feel your clothes against your body,
Wiggle your toes and fingers,
Shrug your shoulders gently,
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Be blessed.
