Lessons In Truth - Lesson 7 - Annotation 7
How may we handle the emotions of fear and timidity that sometimes arise in the presence of an aggressive personality?
7. We overcome the negative emotions of fear and timidity first by changing the concept we have been holding of ourselves. We recognize the truth that we are a son of God and therefore a spiritual being in whose nature fear and timidity have no part.
Fear and timidity are beliefs held by the human consciousness when it has lost sight of man's true nature. These emotions arise in the presence of another when we compare our own inferior feelings with what we think is the superiority of another person.
Very definite instructions are given in I John 4:18 for handling fear or timidity: "Perfect love casteth out fear." As understanding of our divine nature dawns on us, love for God and for our fellow man wells up in our heart. Any fear or timidity we may have felt in the presence of one with an aggressive personality dissolves, leaving only a feeling of oneness. We no longer think of another as causing fear or timidity in us, but come to see that these emotions came about through our ignorance of Truth.
If what we see in another person makes us feel inferior, fearful, or timid, we should seek more than ever to become conscious of the good that makes up our essential character, but which we have failed to release or develop. Fortified by understanding and love, we feel only compassion in the presence of an aggressive personality, even if that one is seeking to impress us by being dominating or exacting. Our love senses a soul trying to unfold according to his own understanding and in his own way the same God qualities that we are developing.
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Preceding Entry: Give some of the ways in which we may improve our personality so that it becomes a fit instrument for the expression of individuallty.
Following Entry: Should we ever feel afraid in the presence of a truly great person?
