What’s the difference between faith and fear?
Everything.
They are direct opposites.
Most experts agree that we all have some innate fears, things we’re born with. Fear of falling is one of them. And if the fear of falling is innate, is not the faith that gravity pulls us down inborn as well? Faith and fear can co-exist in these basic forms, but they oppose each other in a spiritual context. When faith wanes, fear moves in.
If we have faith in God, we can conquer worry and fear of such things as the future with its surprising twists and turns. Or we can stop trying to manipulate our destinies under our own powers.
I confess that at times in my own life there is a distance between what I believe and how that affects my daily life. And not just in a moral way but in a relational way. As a college graduate with slightly above-average I.Q. (I think) I have had a tendency to try to figure out things on my own without so much as asking God’s opinion, much less imploring His direction. If I truly have faith, truly trust God’s heart, mind, and hand, why haven’t I been more intimate with Him? In other words, how has my faith translated into my everyday life?
If I truly trust God as I claim, why do I worry about things – things that I can’t control or even things that I feel I can maneuver? Why don’t I think about Him more, lean on Him, laugh with Him, cry with Him, and speak to Him even about the most trivial things? Perhaps it’s a basic faith issue.
I’m going to try and change that but not in my own power. That would defeat the purpose. I’m first going to let Bimini chase itself for a while, let gravity do the pulling, and let God do what He does best.
A big “YES” to this, Nan. I’ve been thinking a lot about this very thing for the past year or so. This IS the journey. To let go in faith that He has this – or to hold on to what I can to keep a feeling of control. This just shows that I tend to trust myself more than I trust God. How dare I! That’s like My 3 year old telling me that he trusts his judgement better than mine, ridiculous! He’s an idiot! I love him, but really – talk about bad choices! He doesn’t think 2 seconds into the future before making the decision to do a header off the couch onto the wood floor. He doesn’t nearly have my perspective and experience. How could I possibly think I am a match for God in this area either. That’s how silly God is showing me my fear of anything but Him is.