Doubt your doubts
before you doubt your faith. Do you know
what the archaic definition of doubt is?
It’s fear. Doubt your fear before
you doubt your faith. I can’t tell you
how many times in life I have made decisions based on fear. Let me say, they almost never were the right
decisions. You can spend your entire
life worrying and stressing about the unknown but you are battling a ghost and
you will be miserable for it. Within
every religion you will find members and leaders that are happy and those that
aren’t. It baffled me for years until I
realized it depended on what the individual was clinging to- fear or
faith. A spiritual foundation in fear
stresses obedience, perfection, and eliminating sin (which is everywhere). Fearful spirituality scrutinizes everything
and everyone. It is judgmental and
exclusive. On the other hand, faith
encourages growth, exploration, love and trust.
It is forgiving, encompassing, and all inclusive.
So for me, doubt
your doubts before you doubt your faith means carefully examining whether your known
truths, your attitudes and perceptions, are coming from a place of fear or
faith. If a decision or principle you
live by involves the words can’t, should, shouldn’t, or have to, then probably
something is wrong. “Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven…many will say
to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?...And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you.” Did you know that in the first four books of
the New Testament, the books that follow Jesus’s ministry that the word obedience
never occurs? Nada, not once. That’s because obedience is a system of
fear. The fear of what will happen (or
not happen) if one doesn’t comply. Fear
and faith cannot coexist. People may say
they are following the rules because they have faith that there will be some
reward at the end, but in actuality they are following the rules because they
fear that if they don’t they won’t get the reward at the end. Perhaps you think the difference is trivial,
but to me it is huge!
As I walk my path
I am having to carefully examine what principles and truths I want to take with
me and what I want to dump along the wayside.
Some are trickier than others because they are so engrained in me and I
have held to them for so long. I have
found however, when I let something go, it will either leave this nagging heavy
feeling or it will just be missed. The
nagging heavy feeling is the stuff that has to go. Beliefs based in fear dig into you and claw
at you when you try to abandon them.
They yell and scream and make you feel guilty and less than. Surprisingly, beliefs that are based in
faith go quietly. You could almost walk
away and never look back, but then you realize you’re missing something in your
life; like losing a best friend. That’s
how you know it’s a belief you want to hold on to.
Best Easter Sermon ever -
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what the theme of my homily today ought to be.
Do I want to speak of the miracle...
of our Lord's divine transformation?
Not really, no.
I don't want to talk about His divinity.
I'd rather talk about His humanity.
I mean, you know, how he lived his life here on Earth.
His kindness.
His tolerance.
Listen, here's what I think.
I think we can't go around...
measuring our goodness by what we don't do.
By what we deny ourselves...
what we resist and who we exclude.
I think we've got to measure goodness...
by what we embrace...
what we create...
and who we include.
I think there is a hierarchy of motivations behind why people obey. The lowest motivator is fear. This can be effective be results in the least amount if pay off. This would be perhaps more of a child like obedience where a child chooses not to do something for fear of getting in trouble. The next would be obedience motivated by a perceived reward. I want to do A so I can get B. The third, which is a reward unto itself is doing something because it flows naturally and freely from you, without manipulation or compulsion. The problem would come when adults don't move past the first or second motivators and onto the third. It seems there are certain things that you can choose to be obedient to out of fear and still be blessed, in that you are protected from the harm of drugs, for example. I think it's a worthwhile endeavor to do what you are talking about by analyzing your motives behind doing or not doing things. Sometimes I return to fear, and it never brings fulfillment or happiness. Good post, Natalie!
ReplyDeleteYay natalie's a Blogging! Thanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteI like your rewording of Doubt with Fear. One thing I loved about Uchtdorf's talk is that it was filled with compassion, understanding and uplifting love. There was no fear, no judgement. There is a place for everyone. We are here to strengthen and support each other as we journey, learn and grow through life together.
Unfortunately, I didn't turn off the TV after he sat down. Most everyone one else spend their time dishing out mandates and fear. Fear in making sure church numbers grow, fear in making sure the church is properly funded, fear that you might think different, vote different or fear that others live lives differently than their own traditional values. Fear and guilt doesn't inspire, doesn't offer compassion, doesn't bring anyone closer to godliness and fear is not of God. God is love. God is merciful. God lives a life of Godliness. Godliness flows freely without coercion and force.
I love everything you have written. While the church is dreadfully behind their potential. It is evolving (albeit at an unbearably slow pace) and it is worlds better than years ago. It will get there, although we might have to hang as if it were by a thread till the millennium arrives and human tradition and fear can be replaced with true godliness.