Just Passing Through
Mar 13, 2011
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I don't like to talk a lot about faith and religion, mainly because it is not very strong for me, but a recent post by another blogger has prompted me to start thinking about these things again. Her post was on God and anxiety. For as long as I can remember, I've had a problem with anxiety, and it's been a huge struggle throughout my life. In response to her post, I wrote a comment saying that I felt like if God really wanted to help me do my best, why would he give me these fears?
Her response came down to trust. That we will have fears and doubts, and we can choose to trust God to help us with them, or we cannot.
In grad school, I had two good friends with opposing views on faith. One was an atheist and the other was a Christian. Whenever I think about my own faith I begin to feel the doubt of my atheist friend, who couldn't see how God, if he existed, would cause so much suffering to people. But I can't help coming back to the memory of sitting with my other friend in her kitchen on one of my last nights in Vegas, and what she told me. She said, I believe in God because I couldn't have done this alone. And for some reason, those words fill me with hope.
In the midst of recent events, maybe it's time to take a step back, look at the bigger picture, and trust that I'm not doing this alone, and that things will work out the way they're supposed to, if I allow it.
I really love this song. It has such a good message. I'm not quite at the point in my journey where I can say I truly live for something bigger than this. Maybe I never will be, but it's something to strive for.
I think I don't need to comment on this subject again, since I already did on that blog.
I'm glad you're trying to step back and just trust. :)
I'm sure it will make you feel calm and confident.
It is so hard to take that step out and just trust that God will guide you in the right direction. I'm the kind of person who has to know what exactly is going to happen next and have control over that next step. The health scare kind of took that away from me, and I had no choice but to rely on my faith and trust that everything will work out. Isn't to say that was easy, though, but in the end, it gave me the peace of mind I needed. I pray that it will do the same for you.
our ideology/anxiety issues are very similar!!! You have accomplished much despite the anxiety so I'm hopeful that if I get accepted to go back for another degree I'll be able to handle it too - hopefully?
I have a friend who is completely atheist, an Anglican wife, and am a non practising Catholic with agnostic/atheistic tendencies myself :) It isn't a point of friction for us. The thing is, each belief works for us as individuals, and as long as no-one gets hurt, no-one is uppity in my face saying their way is the only one, and I am damned for not following I am quite happy to say each to their own. Go with what works for you.