Our deepest fears

On Thursday, I went to a meeting for the Sunday School teachers for my church. I signed up to teach 3rd grade. The grade that boys and girls of the Catholic faith have their first confession and first communion. I am excited to teach them our faith and I am excited to learn from the children I teach. On one of the papers we were given, there was a quote that I, unfortunately, have never heard before that night but it resonated in my a "fire", a desire to lose this weight once and for all.

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, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. 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


I never would have had this train of thought. We all need to look into ourselves (trying to practice what I preach) as human beings who are God's masterpieces and should treat ourselves and our bodies as such.

What does this quote mean to you?