Others fear failure:
Whenever such a person thinks of doing some business, he fears it may fail or face hindrances, plotting of competitors, or dishonesty of partners. If he is poor he fears becoming needy, and if rich fears robbery, and in all cases he keeps afraid.
Some people fear dangers.
If such a person takes an aeroplane he fears some calamity would happen, and he remembers such things published in newspapers. In any means of transportation he is in fear of accidents. All dark memories come to his mind in this respect and this makes him always afraid.
There is a type of people who fear their own weakness.
Such person fears his inability, his forgetfulness, his weakness before the power of his competitors or adversaries, and his inability to withstand. This makes him lose his self-confidence, the spirit of bravery, and the power to take an initiative. The image of inability and failure is always before his eyes. He even fears sin and feels unable to resist it.
Such fear causes a person confusion, disturbance and trouble, and may paralyze his ability to work.
It will have a bad effect on his soul and nerves. Fear will appear on his features, on his looks, on his voice and on his movements. He will tremble, become pale, and his heart beats increase. Everybody will see his fear which appears in his behavior, his hesitation, his inability to take decisions, and his seeking protection.
Fear may lead some to dejection. They put before them the words, “anyone who finds me will kill me.” (Gen 4: 4). A spiritual person, on the other hand, does not fear, but peace reigns over his heart, giving him confidence.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Fruits of the Spirit
Category: FEAR
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He was afraid, like children, of a whim, of something
that has no existence.
The child’s mind invents fearful notions, and he becomes afraid of things like darkness, imagining things hidden in it. He may also fear a robber that does not exist in fact, or demons where is none actually. They are whims invented by his frightened heart. The child sometimes fears being alone with no-one protecting him from an unknown danger, so he cries and weeps with no reason except fear.
Such fears may continue with some even when they
grow up.
We find, therefore, some students fear exams and imagine the exams will be difficult, or at least the correction will be hard. Others fear an interview for a job, thinking they would fail!—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Fruits of the Spirit
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One may feel afraid from some people though they do not think of doing him any harm at all.
King Saul, for instance, used to be afraid of David, and pursued him everywhere to kill him, though David never thought of doing him harm. Even when Saul was in his hand, and David had the opportunity to kill him, and his followers advised him to do so, nevertheless David said, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.”.
‘And David rebuked his servants and did not allow them to rise against Saul (1 Sam 24: 6, 7). And see what David said to the king, “After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea?” These words made Saul lift up his voice and weep and say to David, “You are more righteous than I.” (1 Sam 24: 14, 16).
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Fruits of the Spirit
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So many are the causes of fear, and they all come out of
one’s own heart.
Some fear slander from others, fear their attacks and plotting; and some fear their envy. One who believes in the envious eye and its harm will keep afraid. The cause of his fear is not the power of the envious eye, but the weakness of his heart that believes in that.—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Fruits of the Spirit
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“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won’t have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren’t even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they’re doing it.”
―Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird -
Among the items that waste time is for the mind to replay what it saw during the day. It finds audiovisual flashbacks of the entire past: discussions, images, actions, meetings, and conversations, as well as the mind’s consequent inferences— this consumes a great amount of time.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Monastic Treasures for All of Us
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Even all the incidents you experience are permitted by God so you can gain a spiritual benefit from them…
There are those who become nervously, psychologically or mentally affected by incidents. Others are affected spiritually by whatever events they experience; everything that happens to them makes them closer to God….
The people that you meet, are sent by God. Passing your way, they are for your own spiritual benefit, if you know how to benefit from them.
The righteous present you with an example and a blessing, while you benefit endurance, patience, and forgiveness for others from evil.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, WORDS OF SPIRITUAL BENEFIT VOL. II
SO GOOD QUOTES 