It’s never too late to conquer fear
Before I began studying Christian Science, I was a very fearful person. Though comfortable with people on a one-to-one basis, I was terrified of doing anything in public. I avoided serving on committees, as I knew I would be tongue-tied. I declined to stand up and deliver a “vote of thanks” speech, and I didn’t even like making announcements. I wished I could speak up at a public meeting, but I couldn’t. I was even timid while driving. I envied people who were fearless and confident.
The Bible says, “Fear hath torment” (I John 4:18). I knew all about that! When I was living in the Middle East, where there was terrorist activity, my grandmother sent me a copy of “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” by Mary Baker Eddy. I read some of the book and learned that our relation to God as His spiritual reflection keeps us safe, and I was no longer afraid to go out.
Nevertheless, my fears in other areas still needed addressing. I had heard that people had been healed by reading Science and Health, and I knew it had healed me, so I began to study the book in earnest.
This time, it stirred my thought on a deeper level. It dawned on me that there is a spiritual universe that I had not previously been aware of and that I have a place in it. It is where I really live! I am not in reality a timid mortal, but the loved, immortal child of God. My true identity is spiritual and eternally one with God, Spirit, so I am never doing anything alone.
Glimpsing the reality of Spirit’s ever-presence was like waking from a bad dream. Confidence began to well up within me as I learned of my God-given perfection and completeness. Self-doubt started to fade, and my sense of self-worth gradually increased, as I understood that each of us expresses God’s qualities without limitation. So, yes! I could comfortably speak up whenever it seemed appropriate in any situation.
A promise from Science and Health that empowered me was “Whatever is governed by God, is never for an instant deprived of the light and might of intelligence and Life” (p. 215). That meant I could trust that the light of divine intelligence would show me what to say and do, and its might would give me strength to overcome nervousness. So where was there any space for fear?
This was the beginning of the end of this fear. Eventually, I was able to join a speakers’ club and participate in all the assignments. I even won an impromptu speech competition. I worked in a big retail organization, won prizes for selling, and was asked to teach others how to sell. I have introduced speakers on special occasions, served on committees, and organized special functions. I am now a professional speaker, and I love doing it.
It’s never too late to be healed. I was middle-aged before I conquered this fear through prayer, but I have certainly made up for lost time!
Originally published in the Jan. 17, 2022, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.
