I find it interesting that I don’t worry about yesterday.
There is nothing I can do about what’s behind me. That ship has sailed.
I don’t worry in the present either except if I become idle and allow my mind to wander off into the land of what if’s. As I learn to live and operate primarily in the present, I then find I have the opportunity to make important helpful choices.
My concerns (a gentle way to say fears) are about what lies ahead - the great unknown beyond my control. This is where frets and worries accumulate disturbing the opportunity to live happily right now.
Which brings me to the subject of faith.
Most of the time when this topic comes up it is considered in the abstract, not the practical. For this reason it is unappreciated for how it can improve the quality of my living experience right now.
Faith is the antidote for fear.
Think about that.
Think about what living with less anxiety, less sleeplessness, more peace, and serenity would be like. This is the opportunity to breath heaven’s air here on earth right now.
But faith is not a gimmick and it isn’t the absence of doubts. In fact, doubts are one of its vital components. Doubts mean you aren’t sure. Faith is not pretending to be sure about anything either. Faith is choosing to trust.
As True Love chooses to pursue the Beloved, Faith is the choice of the Beloved to trust the True Lover’s faithfulness, in spite of any and all evidence to the opposite.
Faith operates in the atmosphere of uncertainty and the fear it produces. It does not make it go away, it redirects the heart of the Beloved back to thinking about a binding relationship that will last beyond time, beyond any threats otherwise.
Faith operates to manage the unknown future by reminding us of God’s past faithfulness so we can decide to trust beyond our physical senses that God has got our back.
Living by faith rather than fear looks like courage to the outside world.
It enables us to keep our pulses steady and our blood pressures under control while others panic around us. It opens a space for humor, joy, and peace in the midst of all storms and it opens our eyes to opportunities to share faith and love with others still in fear’s grip.