Faith Over Fear

This past spring, I visited the Denver Press Club to have dinner with the club’s president.  As we sat there, I told him about a big media opportunity that was knocking on my door.  The thing, though, was that I needed more TV reps to have a better chance at getting it.

He said, “So, what are you doing to get those reps?”  I told him I had emailed every contact I could think of in TV.  I was grateful for the opportunities these people offered me to come and be on their shows.  In all honesty, they were all so generous.  Still, though, I didn’t have enough reps for the great opportunity at my door.  Explaining this, I said, “I’m a very religious person.  I have faith that what will be will be.  As long as I have done the best I can, that’s all I can do.”

He looked befuddled.

Some six months later, I still stand by that response.

What will be, will be.

And won’t, will not.

I’ve been questioning my own faith a lot lately.  I’m on the cusp of some big decisions.  There are some big things, too, that I’d like to happen in my life.  The last year has been challenging.  It’s been filled with goodbyes and hellos and one cross-country move.

Last night I laid down to bed with my heart spinning.  I can feel so much waiting at my doorstep, but none of it seems to be coming in.  I’m in the frustrating spot called flux.  It’s enough to drive someone crazy.  And if you’re me, crazy means tears. Ugly, tired, painful tears.

I’ve decided, though, that’s where faith comes in.

Faith is the place where you stop fighting.  Faith is the point you reach where you hand over the reins and say, “I cannot control this.”

Faith is not being idle.  Faith is not refusing to take action.  Faith is not expecting things to happen without your participation.

When I think back to the points in my life where I’ve felt this collision of chaos where life felt uncertain, one thing has always rang true:  Life worked out.  Not only did it work out, but it worked out in a way that far exceeded any expectation I created for my life.

One of my favorite quotes is a Bible verse.  Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.”

That verse is so powerful to me, because it re-instills in me the belief that if there is an honest hope in my heart for something, faith will give me an answer for that hope.  That answer may not be the thing I hoped for itself, but may come in the form of something that is better suited for me.

So today, I’ve decided to make a big, bold step.  I’m choosing faith over fear.  I’m powerless to fear.  Yet, faith defeats fear.  Its powers are limitless.

How would your life improve if you chose faith over fear?  And what will it take for you to hand over the reins?