How Fear Stripped Us of Love as Children and How We Can Reclaim It Now

As children, we come into this world pure, open-hearted, and full of love. We are vulnerable, trusting, and ready to receive life without barriers. But early on, many of us are introduced to something that slowly and quietly begins to strip us of the very love we were created to live in, that thing is fear.

Whether through harsh words, punishment, emotional neglect, or simply being born into a world and culture that values control and caution over freedom and love, we are conditioned to fear life, fear failure, fear being wrong, fear being unworthy. And over time, fear begins to close off the heart, dim our gifts, and rob us of our purpose, our joy, and our true selves.

Fear Robs Us But Love Was Always Meant to Lead Us

Fear doesn’t just make us feel small. It steals from us. It takes our voice, our confidence, our time, and most painfully, it cuts us off from the depth of love that we truly are. Love is not just something we receive, it’s something we are. And when fear becomes the lens through which we see ourselves and the world, we start to forget that.

I often think about Jesus and the way He loved children. He didn’t just tolerate them, He honored them, protected them, cherished them. He knew they were the most vulnerable, and He also knew that how we treat children shapes who they become. His love for them was deep, intuitive, and fierce. That kind of love sees the innate worth in every soul, especially in those who are too young to fight for it themselves.

Looking Back, I See the Cost of Fear in My Own Life

There have been times I’ve looked back at my own life and thought, If I hadn’t been so afraid, who would I be now? If fear hadn’t told me to stay small, to be careful, to second-guess my gifts, my purpose, my worth, how much more would I have stepped into by now?

And even though it’s easy to sit in that regret, I’ve learned that dwelling on the past only deepens the wound. The truth is, we can’t change what was, but we can absolutely choose what is, and what’s to come. The most empowering decision we can make is to say, “I will not let fear lead me anymore. I choose love now.”

Motherhood Taught Me, and Life Taught Me Even More

If I had my sons today, knowing what I know now, I would do so many things differently. I would be so mindful of how fear shows up, in my words, my energy, my actions. I would be careful about passing on fear disguised as concern. I would teach them to focus on love, not worry. I would guide them to trust themselves, to embrace independence, and to live with a heart full of courage, joy, and self-love.

But even in that reflection, I know this: I can still model that now. For them, for others, for myself. We all can.

Reclaiming Love, One Thought at a Time

So I ask you, where has fear robbed you? What parts of your authentic self were silenced or stripped away in childhood? And now, what parts are ready to be reclaimed?

You are not broken. You are not too late. You are a soul filled with love, purpose, and light, and every moment you choose to align with love over fear, you reclaim the power, gifts, and joy that have always been yours.

Let’s be gentle with ourselves in this process. Let’s remember who we truly are. And most of all, let’s move forward, in love, in truth, and with the courage to live free.