Sustenance for The Spirit
“Faith over Fear” is a common mantra these days. As we’ve come face to face with our fears relating to the pandemic, “Faith over Fear” keeps things in perspective. It’s a good reminder. How do we want to live our life? Paranoid, or in belief of God who can peacefully keep the calm, even amidst chaos. This means we have to choose a filter, either sift everything in life through a filter of fear, or of faith. It’s not really as simple as it sounds, because we always need a measure of fear to keep us wise in situations involving risk, and faith is based on spiritual persistence, even when doubt creeps in. Since life often catches us off-guard, this can be a day to day struggle. In her book, The Next Right Thing, Emily Freeman puts it in the form of a question, “Am I being led by love or pushed by fear? The answer to that question isn’t always clear, but I continue to carry it with me into every difficult decision.” (p. 79)
When I drink my coffee, I depend on the fact that a filter has controlled the number of coffee grounds in my cup. I depend on my brain to filter my speech, especially when my emotions are in over-drive. I depend on sunscreen to filter out the harmful UV rays that emanate from a sun that also provides nutrients needed for healthy living. We depend on filtration to give us purity in all aspects of life, as much as possible, while on this planet. The truth is that life here, this side of heaven, is honestly impure. Even with the best of filters, we are often faced with impurity.
Peter, the apostle, was known for being “unfiltered.” He would blurt things out or behave erratically, his body kicking in before his brain filtered his reactions. Cutting off the ear of a Roman soldier who came to assist in the arrest of Jesus is a great example. It helps when your friend is also the Messiah who can very calmly put the ear back on and proceed with what needed to happen next. At the root of that instance was perhaps a shift of Peter’s filter from faith to fear. When our world is shaken, especially suddenly, the filter switch can occur in nanoseconds.
I like to watch fun adventure on T.V., not too intense, good mystery with a good measure of lightheartedness…definitely fiction, but entertaining. So, I have been re-watching an old favorite, “Leverage.” It’s about a team of crooks who have become good guys, but as they help people who can’t get help through the normal channels, they have to stay under the radar of people in law enforcement. It’s definitely fiction, right? Re-watching the show has confirmed once again that my favorite character is Parker, the thief. Her back story is that she was raised in foster homes, and at a young age began a mentor/mentee relationship with a master thief, who basically taught her everything she knows and depends on for survival. Because of this background, Parker has a skewed sense of ethics and as her character develops, she learns to tap into her conscience and regard for people. She becomes more empathic and develops a sense of loyalty to her team, which becomes her family. However, the thing that I think attracts me to her character the most, is her risk-taking. She exhibits no fear of things like heights or extreme speed. She exemplifies someone who has a non-existent fear filter. In her case, she has a faith filter based on her abilities of balance, strength, hand-eye coordination and quick reaction time. Those are the things that have enabled her survival. Those are the things she has depended on over all else. In fiction, she actually develops what we might call a healthy dose of fear, or at least a respect for it, which once again raises the question of a choice of filter: fear or faith.
A rich young man was using his fear filter when he approached Jesus with his question, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16, NIV) He got an answer, which he evidently didn’t like, and couldn’t quite switch over to a faith filter. He just couldn’t see his future, following Jesus without his wealth. He was doing right things, but his fear ruled his faith. After the apostles, who heard and watched this exchange, reacted with a fear-laden question, “Who then can be saved?” (Matthew 19:25, NIV), Jesus brings out the faith filtering answer, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26, NIV)
I can relate to this young man as he walks away, probably still in fear filter mode. Dealing with things right in front of us, that scare us, keep our fear filter too handy. I want to switch, to my faith filter. I think of Parker as she jumps off a tall building, squealing with joy the whole way down to solid ground. I know the T.V. character is fiction, but seeing fearlessness in action reminds me I have a different kind of filter available all day every day. My faith filter is renewed each day to face yet another episode of circumstances, some that will be unexpected and probably cause a fearful reaction. As I place a filter into my coffee maker each morning, I pray that I will use my faith filter more than my fear filter. I know which one makes all things possible. Let’s look ahead to the possibilities, and not be afraid to squeal with joy in the face of fear. Have a great day!
