Worry Less: Part 2
WORRY VERSUS FAITH
I saw an old friend recently. Over dinner, we talked about how the last few years have been. If I thought that my life was hard, hers has been infinitely more difficult. We laughed, and cried, and talked about how we have gotten through the tough times. We have both learned how to quit fighting WHAT IS. We have both learned to put away the vision of how we thought things would be and instead face things AS THEY ARE. It’s been tough, and it has required a lot of faith. I can see the growth in my friend. I can see a rock-solid woman who has been through the fire. It’s truly amazing what the worst times can do to us if we let them.
Time and time again in the scriptures we are commanded not to fear. “Fear not,” we are told. And yet we all do it. For me, it comes in the form of worrying. That worrying leads me to doubt myself, and others, but most importantly my Heavenly Father and Savior. This is because fear and faith cannot coexist. They are opposites on the spectrum of emotions and thoughts. President Nelson has reminded us, “Faith is the antidote for fear.” When we are gripped with our worries and fears, the only way to free our minds is to have faith.
This is not an easy process, transitioning from fear to faith. For me, it started with a reminder - I discussed it in detail in my last blog post - when I was in a therapists office and being reminded that I could not stay present and worry at the same time. I could not be worrying about the future or the past, or even what I was facing in the here and now, and be present. So I first had to learn to put my fears aside. I had to validate them, feel them, examine them, write them down, give them their moment, and then realize what they really were and tuck them away. They were just fears. They had no power over me.
Fear and faith are interesting, they have a lot that’s similar about them. They are both a choice. They both involve our hearts and thoughts. They can both be overpowering.
“Fear and faith have something in common. They both ask us to believe in something we cannot see.”
-Joel Osteen
But it’s what is different about fear and faith that is really exciting. Faith holds power. Faith brings peace and calm to our souls. Faith gives us confidence and hope in the future. Faith gets us through difficult times with understanding. Faith leads us to accept what is happening AS THOUGH WE CHOSE IT. As though it’s part of the great plan, because it is.
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy.”
-Eckhart Tolle
This radical acceptance of how things are, allows us to let go of our expectations of how we thought things should be. And it frees us to allow things to be what they are, and learn from them. Acceptance of the way things are allows us to recognize and face situations, people, events, and health problems that are gut wrenchingly difficult. In that moment, we stop resisting and we find the lesson within the trial. The beauty within the ashes.
This too, is a choice. We are choosing to believe that there is a purpose for everything (faith). We are choosing to trust. Like I said, it’s not an easy process. But just like everything else, the Savior is there to help us in this too. He promises us many times, in all books of scripture, that He is there with us. Have strength, have confidence, because I am there with you! We are asked to face a lot of hard things in life, and He never leaves our side as we face those hard things. Choosing to believe and trust that everything is part of a bigger plan, opens us up to His help and guidance. He will direct you in the things that you need to do to lead you to that next step. I have felt this in the past year in my life. As I have surrendered to WHAT IS, He is ever present, leading me and guiding me in how to learn what I am supposed to learn and then move on.
I have thought a lot about my friend in the few weeks since we had dinner together. Every time I think of her, I am reminded that the difficult things in my life right now, are there for a reason. I am reminded that we are all on a journey of faith, and that our trials are merely stepping stones, leading us further and further along on the path.
