Fear Is What Keeps Gifts Hidden | EP31

Have you ever felt like you know you can do something… but you still don’t?

In this episode, I reflect on a deeper truth I’ve been facing — that what’s been holding me back is not a lack of ability, but fear. Fear of failure. Fear of being seen.  Fear of being judged. And sometimes… even fear of success.

Fear doesn’t remove your gifts. It just convinces you not to use them. This episode is about recognizing fear for what it is — not truth, not identity — but something we’ve learned to protect ourselves.

Maybe you don’t need to feel ready to begin. You just need to see what’s been holding you back.

Transcript

How I Met Jesus — Episode 31

Fear Is What Keeps Gifts Hidden

Hi, this is Elena.

Welcome back to How I Met Jesus.

In the last episode, I talked about how some of my gifts were shaped — and slowly hidden — through my childhood. But as I’ve been reflecting on that, I’ve come to realize something deeper.

Even now… no one is stopping me anymore. No one is telling me to be quiet. To not ask questions. To not stand out. And yet…I still hesitate. I still hold back. I still question myself.

Especially when I started to become aware of my gifts…I began to see that I also have strengths in business. I’m able to connect with people easily. People tend to trust me. When I first decided to start my own business, some of my friends in business were willing to support me—They invested in me. They supplied products. They even gave me payment terms. And I realized…that’s not something everyone has.

I also noticed that I can take what I’ve learned, what I’ve actually done—and turn it into clear systems that other people can follow. Those are my gifts.

And yet…I still find myself holding back. Still hesitating. Still not fully stepping into it. And that’s the part I couldn’t ignore anymore. So the question is no longer:“What happened to me?” But:“What is still holding me back now?”

And the more I sit with that question…the clearer it becomes. 

It’s fear.

Not a loud fear. Not something obvious. But a quiet, subtle fear that shows up in small moments. When I want to speak… but I stay silent. When I have an idea… but I keep it to myself. When something in me is trying to move forward…and something else is pulling me back. And for a long time, I didn’t recognize it as fear.

I called it:“I’m not ready.” “I need more time.” “I’ll do it later.”

But now I see it differently. Those weren’t real reasons. They were protection. Fear doesn’t remove your gifts. It just convinces you not to use them.

Sometimes, it’s the fear of failure. What if I try… and it doesn’t work?

Sometimes, it’s the fear of being seen. What if people see me and I’m not as good as they think?

Sometimes, it’s the fear of being judged. What if they don’t like it? What if they don’t like me?

And sometimes… it’s something even deeper. The fear of success. What if I actually step into it? Will I be able to carry it? Will I become someone I don’t recognize?

And sometimes… it looks like something else. It looks like “laziness.” But when I look closer, it’s not really about being lazy. It’s the fear of what it will cost me. The fear of being too tired. Of losing my time. Of not being able to enjoy a simple, easy life.

And part of me wonders…If I step fully into my gifts, will life become heavier? Will I lose the freedom I have right now? So instead of moving forward…I slow down. Not because I don’t want it. But because I’m not sure what I’ll have to give up.

When I look at my life…I can see this pattern everywhere. There are things I know I can do. Things I feel called to do. And yet…I wait. I hesitate. I overthink. Not because I don’t have the ability. But because part of me is still afraid.

And maybe this is something we don’t talk about enough. We are not lazy. We are protecting ourselves. Protecting ourselves from rejection. From failure. From being hurt again.

Because somewhere in our past…we learned that it wasn’t safe. So now, even when the opportunity is there… even when the gift is there…fear steps in and says:“Stay where it’s safe.”

But what if…the goal is not to eliminate fear first? What if the first step is simply to see it? To recognize it for what it really is. Not truth. But fear. Because when we don’t see it… it controls us. But when we do see it…something begins to shift. We don’t have to obey it anymore.

You don’t need fear to disappear before you begin. You can feel afraid… and still start.

Let’s pray.

Dear Lord,

You know the fears we carry in our hearts. The ones we speak about… and the ones we hide. You see the moments when we hesitate, when we hold back, when we doubt ourselves.

Lord, help us to see our fear clearly. Not as truth. Not as identity. But as something  that does not define us. Give us the courage to take small steps forward…even when fear is still present. Remind us that we don’t have to be fearless to begin. We only need to trust You a little more than we trust our fear. And step by step… lead us into the life You created us to live.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Well, fear may still be there. But it doesn’t have to lead.

Thank you for being here and listening. If this episode resonated with you, feel free to share it with someone who might need it. And if you have your own story, testimony, or questions, I would truly love to hear from you.

Until next time,
take a deep breath…
and remember —
you are already loved.