Facing the Unknown

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

What do fear and faith have in common? 

Aside from the fact that both words start with the letter “f”, the biggest commonality is that both have their foundations in the unknown.

But people under the influence of fear behave very differently than those who are acting from a position of faith.

Fear not only makes us more indecisive and vulnerable to manipulation, it can also masquerade as moral authority.

This can leave us with a false sense of superiority that can encourage us to abuse and seek to control others despite what our conscience may be saying.

Fearful people are more likely to follow questionable advice or to obey unethical orders.

These are very good reasons to be aware of when we are being encouraged to be fearful or to indulge our inner tyrant.

Any time we find ourselves wishing suffering or death on others, we can be certain that we’re not operating from a position of moral strength.

A person who has found his or her way to the moral high ground doesn’t usually arrive there by accident. 

That’s a journey that requires daily investment in following one’s conscience even when uncertain.

A person whose heart is at peace, may not not have all the answers but they can still have a steadiness even when walking in darkness.

By facing the unknown with faith rather than fear, they’ve already won the toughest battle of all and seek to control themselves rather than others.