To Trust Or Not To Trust?

"Looks Like A Leap of Faith to Me"

Trust is an important antidote to fear. Call it trust, faith, love, or whatever you like; it is the opposite energy of fear. At some time in any given situation there is a tipping point where one has to decide whether they are going to remain in fear or make the leap of faith and live in trust. Usually our problem is that we want to stay in fear and dabble in faith. They are two incompatible energies and ways of being in the world.

I remember a critical turning point in my life. I had experienced living in fear in a deep way through a controlling, hostile relationship. Even after I had the courage to leave the relationship, the fear remained. One day I was reading about fear and faith and it hit me like a truck full of bricks--you can't have them both--you have to choose between one or the other.

By looking at the opposite qualities of love you get a sense of how much fear robs you. It is impossible to live a life of abundance while entertaining fear. If we understand what it takes from us and what we cannot have if we hold onto it, we are more prepared to give it up.

Another area of exploration is understanding what we gain by living in fear. For me, to confront my fears would mean the end of my relationship and that would put me in the uncomfortable, socially unacceptable role in my community of divorced single mom. It was like trading one known fear for another unknown fear.

Until you can see that fear keeps you from the fullness of life, it has the secondary benefit of giving you a sense of false security. This translates to living situations, work situations, church situations, social situations, and relational situations. We will often live a life devoid of joy because we fear the consequences of making needful changes. We hang on to our known misery like a security blanket, cloaked in fear, and frozen in place.

It is never easy to speak about difficult times, and yet it is the journey into darkness and the subsequent journey into the light that gives hope that fear can be overcome and indeed it can. For me, this is what the life of Christ was all about--journeying into the depths of fear and overcoming and creating a path back to the ultimate state of love. It makes my success possible and any continued success I might have. He was the ultimate path maker in my thinking and for that I am eternally grateful. We are also given companions along the path. One is Sophia/Wisdom, the Divine Feminine, who guides each step towards an abundant life. There are many others. We never travel alone.

The origin of the word 'courage' comes from a meaning that denotes the heart as the seat of deep feeling. Fear becomes deeply seated in our hearts. It requires the courage of love--it's opposite and stronger emotion--to remove fear from the heart.

It is only as we come to know love and we develop a relationship of trust with Spirit that we are able to de-throne fear from our lives. It requires an invitation on our part. It is truly transformational where the lead is turned into gold. Spirit is such a better partner to dance with than fear. And, oh the places you can go!