Chapter · Vulnerable

Admitting I'm Still Afraid

Hope doesn't erase fear — it learns to live beside it

Summary
Some days I speak about tomorrow with confidence. Other days, I'm quietly terrified that I'll get it wrong again. Both versions of me are telling the truth.
By A Work in Progress
Dec 31, 2025

Scripture: Psalm 56:3

Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud

I don't always trust the future.

Even when I write about hope.
Even when I talk about patience.
Even when I say I'm learning to let things unfold.

There's a part of me that still expects tomorrow to disappoint met — not because I lack faith, but because experience taught me to brace for impact.

Admitting that feels uncomfortable. Necessary. True.

The Fear of Repeating Myself

What I'm most afraid of isn't failutre.

It's reptition.

I'm afraid of choosing the same patterns with new names.
Of mistaking familiarity for safety.
Of believing I've healed more than I actually have.

Sometimes the future feels less like open space and more like a test I've already failed once.

When Hope Feels Risky

Hope asks me to lower defenses I built for survival.

To stop scanning for exits.
To stop preparing explanations for disappointment.
To stop assuming that wanting something means I'll lose it.

That kind of hope feels dangerous — not because it's foolish, but because it makes me visible.

And visibility has cost me before.

Trusting God While Distrusting Outcomes

I trust God more than I trust outcomes.

That feels strange to admit — but it's honest.

I believe God is good.
I'm just not always sure life will cooperate.

So my faith right now isn't bold or loud.
It's quiet. Cautious. Still learning how to stay.

Letting Fear Sit at the Table

I'm learning that vulnerability doesn't require me to banish fear.

It asks me to stop pretending it isn't there.

Fear doesn't get to drive.
But it does get to exist.

And somehow, acknowledging it makes tomorrow feel more real — less imagined, less rehearsed, less fake.

Still Moving Forward Anyway

I don't have fearless hope.

I have honest hope.

Hope that shakes sometimes.
Hope that checks the ground before stepping.
Hope that moves forward even while afraid.

If tomorrow is going to be written, it won't be because I was fearless.

It will be because I stayed.

And for now, that feels like enough.

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." — Psalm 56:3

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Tags

#future #self-awareness #trust #unfinished story #vulnerability

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