there was once a cat, who had an irrational fear of the new ceiling fan that her owner has installed in the house.
for the whole day, she'd hide behind the sewing machine, convinced fully that the fan will harm her.
for the whole day, she's on vigilant lookout. any sound could mean that the fan is about to move to get her. she can't sleep. because she would never know when she'd be attacked. she can't eat, 'cos eating means lowering her head, and that would mean getting her defense down. she can't even groom herself unless her owner is sitting in front of her, blocking her away from the view of the evil fan.
of course, to her owner, the cat's actions are comical. because the owner knows that the fan is not going to do the cat any harm. the fan is fixed to the ceiling, meant to be an appliance, to provide relief and comfort on a hot afternoon. the owner was initially amused at the cat's strange antics - peering out of the room and running back in, being extra sticky to the owner, but soon the owner grew concerned when the cat did not want to eat any food or drink water. so the owner did what she knew, she sat with the cat as the cat groomed. she kept patting the cat as the cat moved to peer at the fan. she spoke to the cat in soft voices. she tries to carry the cat out once in a while to be closer to the fan, sustaining injuries on her shoulders as a result.

i guess in life, many a times, we have irrational fears as well. fears that seem illogical to others, and yet are perfectly real to us, though really quite irrational. and perhaps what we need is a step of courage and faith from us, as well as continual reassurance at the side :)
and i think personally i've been the recipient of grace and continual reassurance :)