"Faith over fear" is a toxic half-truth.
There, I said it.
The hashtag #faithoverfear has 1.6 million posts on IG. Clearly, *so* many people believe fear is something that ought to be fought. I don't do many threads, but this deserves one. +
There, I said it.
The hashtag #faithoverfear has 1.6 million posts on IG. Clearly, *so* many people believe fear is something that ought to be fought. I don't do many threads, but this deserves one. +
We want to preach ourselves into courage, but courage begins with compassion. You won’t experience *your whole self* being embraced by the kind arms of Christ if you are busy battling your feelings with a sword.
"Preaching to yourself"
can easily become
punishing yourself. +
"Preaching to yourself"
can easily become
punishing yourself. +
The #faithoverfear narrative overlooks the truth that God gave you a good body with good emotions that exist for good reasons.
Fear is a physiological state God made to protect you from danger and bring you to safety. +
Fear is a physiological state God made to protect you from danger and bring you to safety. +
Real faith in the risen Christ turns toward fear to soothe it into safety.
When it comes to insecurity,
you need to set down your sword. +
When it comes to insecurity,
you need to set down your sword. +
Fear is a physiological prompt to remember the presence of Christ and your place in his heart. Your tight shoulders, pounding heartbeats, and even your panic attacks are all prompts to treat yourself like someone who is truly worthy of love, safety, and care. +
“Do not fear” means *do not only fear*. Feeling fear is a fact of having a body. It’s what you do with it that matters.
When you are feeling fear, your body needs compassion and regulation to experience wholehearted faith. +
When you are feeling fear, your body needs compassion and regulation to experience wholehearted faith. +
Don’t just slap a bible verse over your stress; embody its content—the compassion of Christ—through deep breathing, grounding exercises, walking, or seeking out the presence of a safe, kind person. This is how God wired your nervous system to welcome you home. +
I’m ready for you to experience better news than #faithoverfear:
Your fear can become fuel, prompting you to pay attention to just how loved you are.
May your faith *include* your feelings.
May you refuse to do battle
against the pieces of yourself
that need love the most.
Your fear can become fuel, prompting you to pay attention to just how loved you are.
May your faith *include* your feelings.
May you refuse to do battle
against the pieces of yourself
that need love the most.
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