Thursday, August 15, 2013

What can your memoir teach about looking fear in the face?


"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face," said Eleanor Roosevelt. "You must do the thing which you think you cannot do." 

Think back. When did you look fear in the face? When did you do the thing you thought you could not do?

And what can your memoir teach your kids, grandkids, and other readers about taking a wild-eyed, white-knuckled leap of faith?

Read the quotes below, slowly, and pause as long as it takes to rediscover personal stories they revive, incidents you might have forgotten long ago.

The jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be…
Because of all I may become
I will
Close my eyes
And leap!
(Mary Anne Rachmacher)

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” (Anais Nin)

“You can’t test courage cautiously.” (Annie Dillard)

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” (Nelson Mandela)

“Courage is contagious. When a brave young man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.” (Billy Graham)

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” (Anais Nin)


What stories do these quotes bring to mind?

What courageous thing have you done? Perhaps when you triumphed over fear, others watched. Or maybe you looked fear in the face and took action, even though no one else ever knew about your bravery. Was Anais Nin right? Did your life expand in proportion to your courage?

On the other hand, perhaps some of these quotes reminded you of a time you refused to take that leap, when you remained tight in a bud and chose not to blossom. Was Anais Nin right? Did your life shrink in proportion to your lack of courage?

Looking back now, whether you took that courageous leap of faith or not, what did you learn from your choice?

How did God help you? As a result, in what ways did your relationship with God change?

What Bible verses pertain to your story?

How did you change as a result of your experience?

Did you do things differently in the future?

What valuable lessons can you pass on to others?

Write your stories! Why? Because your children, grandchildren, and other readers will face situations in which their courage and faith are wobbly. Your story could make all the difference in their outcomes.






9 comments:

  1. Linda, thank you for this thought-provoking post...I have begun to write my spiritual memoir...very encouraged by your writing... http://bethwillismiller.blogspot.com/2009/10/conceived-on-memorial-day-almost.html

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    1. Beth, welcome to SM 101, and thanks for your comment. Bless you as you write your memoir. You probably have no idea, right now, how God will transform and inspire you through the writing and bless others through their reading!

      I checked out your blog. Wow, today's post is so powerful. So profound!

      Linda

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    2. Beth, your link, supplied above, "Conceived on Memorial Day...." is very moving and so very true. I wrote a blog post or two about those very verses, something about You Are Important To God. You are sooooo amazing.

      Linda

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  2. Thank you Linda for that push. I have been stalling for years on writing my life story as a legacy for my son. I think the only thing that's stopping me is fear. I need to just start writing. I know God put this in my heart and its been weighing on my mind for some time. I think its time. Love this blog. Have a blessed day. Amy♥

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    1. Amy, I'm so glad you stopped by and left your message. :) Bless you as you step out and start writing your memoir. Yes, like you said, "just start writing." You can't make a mistake when you first start writing. Later, later, you can revise and reorganize and delete and add, etc. For now, just get started! You'll be amazed at how this will all work out. Keep in touch!
      Linda

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  3. Dear Linda, Writing one's memoir is the ultimate test of facing one's fears--the truths about ourselves and our lives. As always, you strike at the heart of the experience through your words of wisdom and finding guidance through the Word of God. Inspirational!

    Blessings,

    Kathy

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    1. Kathy, I'm always so glad to hear from you! :) When I wrote this blog post, I had not thought about fear the way you write of it here--fear of writing one's memoir. Great insights, Kathy. And you are so right, we do need to face the truths about ourselves and our lives and most of the time we'd prefer not to. Nevertheless, when we write our memoirs, we do need to do that introspection and reflecting and -- oh, my! How healing that is! How refreshing! How encouraging! It's like God gives us a way to start living in new ways if and when we do face the truths about ourselves and our lives. Kathy, thanks for your loving, wise words and I can hardly wait to read your memoir, and your other memoir in the works, too. Bless you, dear friend!
      Linda

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  4. Hi Linda! It's Olive (Betsy). Thanks for these thoughts on facing fear in the face. Sometimes I feel like that's what my whole life and ministry is about here in the Middle East, but it's a great reminder to make it part of my story. Blessings on your writing.

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  5. Betsy, I'm delighted to hear from you! I just checked out your new blog and it's beautiful. Bless you as you carry out a ministry that involves so much fear, and as you stare it in the face and defy it! What an example you are to all of us, what faith you demonstrate! I"m honored to know you.

    Blessings,
    Linda

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