do our dreams dwell on the far side of our fears?

Lately, I've been thinking and praying a lot about fear. Not just in my life, but in the lives of others as well. And I've come to the conclusion that our dreams dwell on the far side of our fears. I'm convinced that as the enemy becomes aware of how God intends to use us, as he sees us developing our God-given gifts and abilities, he mounts an attack aimed directly at them.

Case in point: a good friend of mine was telling me about his sister. He said that she experienced something (though she's never told anyone what happened) that's caused her to shut down her emotions and her creativity. I'm certain that God has given her deep-rooted, powerful emotions and creativity that are meant to encourage others and glorify Him. The emotions emparted to women are given for specific reasons. I believe they enable us to pray - with deepfelt passion and empathy - prayers that move mountains.

Another case in point: me. I've recently taken a step of faith that's brought me closer to terrified than I've been in a long time. My greatest challenges and deepest hurts have come from leaders. I've had my confidence shaken, and nearly destroyed, by leaders I admired who told me I wasn't good enough. And yet I feel like leadership is an area where God wants to use me.

Our natural tendancy is to run from our fears. No one wants to turn and face the person, place, or situation that causes (or could cause) such great pain. And I think we can still be used by God while avoiding our fears. But what are we missing if we do that?

What if the best thing to do with our fears is run headlong into them? Kind of like Neo did to that Agent at the end of The Matrix. What if running headlong into our fears, diving in head-first just like Neo did, causes them to simply disintegrate, revealing our true identity and ultimate purpose?

What if the core of who we're meant to be, and the greatest dreams we're meant to achieve, can only be discovered on the far side of our fears?