Fear, Truth, and the Grace of Becoming

Let’s talk about fear—the quiet kind that doesn’t always shout but still manages to guide our steps. Fear has a way of bending the truth. Sometimes we lie to others. Often, we lie to ourselves. Not because we are dishonest people, but because we are human. We are afraid of not getting what we need, afraid of being misunderstood, afraid of how things might unfold.

At the root of it all is the unknown. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, and that uncertainty can make us anxious. So we try to manage outcomes. We soften our words. We tell stories that help us feel safer. Yet when we really sit with it, the worst outcome we imagine—the end we fear most—is something none of us can escape anyway. Life is finite, and acknowledging that isn’t meant to frighten us. It’s meant to free us.

Sometimes truth feels sharp before it feels liberating.