“Fear can hamstring the soul.” -Amy Carmichael
If we fear, we live in the gray areas of pause and regret. Fear keeps us from attempting the impossible, stepping beyond what is comfortable, choosing difficult paths, and loving in a costly manner. The opposite of fear is faith. To walk by faith means to believe the impossible can be reality, to live without what we think we must have, and to love without the prospect of returned love. While fear paralyzes and debilitates, faith liberates us to believe in and hope for what might be.
Fear comes naturally for us, and thus is not a conscious choice but our gut reaction to difficulties, disappointments and rejection. Faith, on the other hand, must be an intentional decision. To choose faith instead of fear is to live toward the hope of a better world, personal transformation, justice, love, etc. While fear destroys our hope, faith is the beginning of hope.
Because I desire to live in hope, I choose faith over my fears.
Tags: fear; hope; faith
Thank you for these words. I remember the moment you walked over to the computer to write them right before leaving HK. I needed to hear you say this then, and I needed to hear them again right now. I choose faith, too. Thank you for living a life displaying this choice, an embodiment of His hope…..Robin