Are You Living in Fear or Faith?
A little over seven weeks ago, I was at the gym when it felt like a bomb went off in my head. After one ambulance ride and a Life Flight, I found myself in the emergency room of Albany Medical Center and was told that I had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke.
Over the course of the next week, I had multiple CAT scans, MRIs, an angoioplasty and felt like a pin cushion with the numerous IVs and the number of times blood was drawn. In the end, my neurologist told me, "We can't identify one reason why this happened to you. You're young (their words, not mine), in good health, and have never had high blood pressure. You have none of the markers that would indicate you have a risk of a stroke."
As I started to learn about hemorrhagic strokes, I read that these strokes account for only 13% of strokes, and there is a 50% mortality rate within the first two weeks. The doctors also told me that the location of the bleed was rare. All things considered, it was a mystery and an event that should have scared the wits out of me.
But it didn't. Instead, I had a complete calm and a peace.
That calm and peace had nothing to do with me and everything to do with God, who promises it.
The Cost of Living in Fear
One of the things I have seen over the last number of years is the number of people who live in fear or a constant state of anxiety. We saw this with COVID, we see it in the world of politics, no matter what side you choose or what politician you back. We see it online, in our media, in social media posts, and the list goes on.
Research shows that living under constant fear weakens our immune system and can cause cardiovascular damage, gastrointestinal problems, and decreased fertility. People with continual anxiety are four times as likely as others to develop high blood pressure, and fear is also strongly linked to depression and poor physical health. One of the most common ways fear is exhibited is anger, which we certainly see on display in our culture.
But the damage goes beyond our bodies. When we live in fear, we withdraw from the very things that bring life. We avoid connection, we come across as unloving, we miss opportunities, and allow anxiety to dictate our choices and our response to people and circumstances.
To put it simply, we were not designed to live this way.
What God Says About Fear
Throughout Scripture, one of God's most repeated commands is "Do not be afraid" or "Fear Not." It appears over 300 times in the Bible. Why? Because God knows our tendency toward fear and He knows what it does to us and what it takes from us.
Paul, in his letter to a young Timothy, encourages him with these words, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Fear doesn't come from God. What comes from God is the exact opposite . . . power, love, and a sound mind.
In Isaiah 41:10, God declares, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." The promise isn't that nothing bad will happen, it's that God is with us through whatever comes. And if we truly believed this promise, we would not live with a hint of fear.
The Peace He Promises
During my hospital stay, people asked how I could be so calm. The answer is found in Philippians 4:6-7: "Be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
That peace, the kind that doesn't make sense given the circumstances, is exactly what I experienced. Lying in that hospital bed, I should have been terrified. Instead, I felt held. This wasn't because I'm particularly brave. It's because I decided to take God at His word.
Living Beyond Fear
When we live in fear, we're not truly living; we're surviving. When we live in fear, we are not living out our faith; we are seeking control. We make decisions based on worst-case scenarios. We hold back from relationships. We alienate those who do not view life through the same lens. In short, we miss out on the abundant life Jesus promised because we're too afraid to reach for it.
An Invitation
My favorite two words in all of Scripture are "But God," and they ran through my head continually during this trial. I could have died. But God spared me. I could have been consumed by fear. But God gave me peace.
If you're living in fear today, fear of what might happen, fear of loss, fear of what is going on in our world, fear of the unknown, etc., there's a better way. God hasn't given you a spirit of fear. That anxiety, that constant worry, it's not from Him - He wants you to have SO MUCH MORE!
He offers peace, hope, and security.
Not a peace that depends on everything going right, but a peace that holds you when everything suddenly goes wrong. A peace that, as I experienced firsthand, truly does surpass all understanding.
The choice is ours: we can live in fear, or we can live in and by faith.
I'm choosing peace because of my faith, and I hope you will too.
Running the race with you,
This edition was first published in The Life Design Newsletter on LinkedIn.