“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. . . and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Nelson Mandela


     Is that true for you? Do you fear that others will recognise your glory or that they will see who you really are and be disappointed? As Christians, I think that we fear going this direction because it sounds like pride. But isn’t there a difference? 
     On our own, pride is dangerous. Mandela however is not describing that. He is telling us, awakening us to the reality that IN God we have glory. In God we were made for glory! A recognition of greatness bestowed is not pride, for that recognition points the glory right back to our Creator.

     The thing is, recognising our glory is the only thing that allows us to love extravagantly. Loving from a position of weakness hinders our ability to love because we’re always in a position of protection, guarding against further pain.

     Realising and accepting who we are in Christ should remove that fear.