There are four kinds of fear: fear of assault (as in falling ill), fear of pain (as in seeing our true selves), doubtful fear (despair), and reverent fear—the only fear “which fully pleases God.”

One of the consistent aspirations I journal about is to keep my energy full and able to endure whatever the day may bring. One of the most powerful of these practices I have found is reading 1-3 chapters of Julian of Norwich’s Showings each day: 86 chapters of deeply moving reflections about love and fear and the blessings we receive through Christ’s Passion and the devotion of our “Mother Jesus.”

Chapter 74 of Showings details the four kinds of fear noted above. Julian explains that we are given these four gifts in order to experience love; that the grace of fear and the grace of love work in harmony, one informing the other. Never before have I found such a straightforward and elegant explanation of the two primary emotions that sustain humanity. || Read more