Fearlessness?

I am afraid.

I am afraid to defend my beliefs, afraid that they will come under attack and scrutiny from an unyielding populace. Are my fears unfounded? No. Can they be overcome? I think so, but it will require an inordinate amount of work and self-education in order to make it so.

This self-criticism comes from the fact that I have recently posted a couple of follow-up comments on a fellow blogger's site regarding an earlier post of my own, and I am realising how woefully inadequate my own knowledge happens to be on many of the subjects he is sincerely (and quite politely) questioning. How can I claim to be a Baha'i and uphold the teachings of Baha'u'llah when I'm not actively striving every second of every day to fully grasp the messages that the Manifestations of God have brought forth to us in order to help us grow in our understanding of and love for God?

I am afraid I need to work much, much harder...