Fear kills more dreams than anything else, crushing the spirit and leading many to choose a purposeless path. Even when a person knows what they want to do in life, fear can overtake the mind. Actress Taraji P. Henderson knows about this all too well.
Early on in life Taraji wanted to be an actress. Her father was her biggest cheerleader. He believed in her and would make affirmative statements such as, “Taraji, you already got the glory. You’ve already collected the Oscar.” Whenever she was unsure about making it, he would say, “Fear is a liar. Make a point of calling its bluff.”
Behind the Scenes with Taraji P. Henson
Taraji planned to attend Howard University’s theater department to pursue her dream but wasn’t accepted. She decided to attend another college and major in engineering. In the first semester she received bad grades in pre-calculus and eventually moved back home. After working for while, she applied again to Howard and was accepted. With the help of her professor, she learned the art of acting. Taraji took her father’s advice and moved with her son to Los Angeles to pursue her dream.
Throughout this process, Taraji had faith in God and kept her dad’s words close to her heart, “fear is a liar,” and kept calling its bluff. She eventually began taking roles in movies and has been performing as Cookie Lyon on the Fox drama series Empire since 2015. She became the first African American woman to win a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series.
Taraji’s story and faith reminds us that when we push through our fears, good things can happen. Someone said, “When fear knocks, let faith answer the door.” We can remain on the shore, paralyzed by fear, or raise our sails and soar in the breeze. Remember, fear is a liar.
Lord, give me the courage to push through my fears and move forward in faith.
