Years ago I was sitting in a small shack that a family called home. The father, about my age, was afraid of what the future might hold for his family. He expressed his fear through his language, his sad eyes, his forlorn look.
I left that meeting more aware of how the poor – the truly poor – often live in fear. There is no margin for the poor. One setback could set off a downward spiral that undoes years of progress. Thus the fear – perpetual, consistent, draining fear of all the uncertainties of life.
A few years later I was at a formal event with wealthy people. In a breakout session of 10-12 people we discussed the challenges each of us was facing. For some it was personal – a child with special needs, or a difficult marriage. For others it was a business challenge. Still others expressed concern about where our society was headed – more divided, more taxes, fewer leaders of character, etc.
What struck me in the conversation was that the rich also live in fear. It’s a different kind of fear to be sure. They aren’t fearful about where their next meal comes from, or, say, what a routine health problem means to their job security. But it’s still fear – fear of the unknown, fear of what they cannot control.
And that’s the common denominator between both. Whether rich or poor, we fear what we cannot control.
Or said another way, we fear a lack of certainty.
This is where faith steps in.
As many smart people have pointed out, the opposite of faith is not doubt.
The opposite of faith is certainty.
We will always have a touch of fear in our lives. The challenge is transforming that fear into faith. As Jesus said several times to several people, do not fear – have faith. Or as he said to his disciples after calming the storm, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Our goal is not transforming our fear into certainty. That will never completely happen.
Our goal is transforming our fear into faith.
Cover artwork is The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt van Rijn. If you know where it is, please tell the authorities!