Understanding the Fear-Faith Dichotomy

“Promise me something Katie, you’ll take a lot of pictures and only regret the ones that you didn’t take.”

— From Safe Haven (2013)

Many moments in this dear life,

Are shrouded in mystery threatening strife,

It’s easy to shy away in fear,

But then we miss out on what’s terribly dear.

Each precious moment comes burgeoning in hope,

Hope flush and plenteous giving us power to cope,

By faith to repel fear there’s no regret,

By faith our fear has no debt.

***

There are two ways life is to be lived – by fear and by faith. Fear is the stuff of hesitancy, regret, resentment, and anger. Faith has about it properties of patience to succeed despite the fear. Faith is a patient and reserved courage.

Life can be either a frightening venture packed with hidden threats or a thrilling adventure promising eventual delight.

By faith our fear is brought under control. By faith our fear makes less sense. By faith we have the courage to make the right steps forward. By faith we enable a life of empowered joy.

By faith we have the ability, with a confident finality, to stride into the cool morning day, from the darkness that descended over us with graphic suddenness.

When we come at life with the thought that we cannot regret what we actively do, when those things we do are born in love and hope and kindness and compassion, we aren’t liable to regret for those things that our fear would stop us from doing. Sometimes faith will stop us from doing something foolish – a wisdom-laden faith. But most times faith enables us to act where fear would stop us in the midst of something otherwise good. Fear can lead us into what is irrational from a hindsight perspective.

Regret seems to have a lot of influence over our lives – either from regrets of past or the anxiety of possible future regret. Once we begin to understand the negative power of regret we can begin to push past it.

Faith is the best ally against fear, when all sorts of fears come disguised as allies of us who wish to live ‘safe’ lives. Without fear controlling us so much, there is a clearer journey to joy and the peace that comes provident of that.

***

By faith our fear is brought under control. When we accept such a powerful truth God opens all sorts of doors in our minds and hearts. By faith we have hope – the ability to truly live.

© 2014 S. J. Wickham.