I’m re-reading a book I read a couple of years ago, “Fierce Faith” by Alli Worthington. I rarely re-read books (yet I’ll watch movies again and again – go figure!). But I spotted this book on the shelf by my chair in the living room and remembered how well I liked it. In this crazy, uncertain time, it seemed like the time for “Fierce Faith” again.

When I first read it two years ago, I was in caregiver mode. My parents had various health issues, and my brother was recovering from intense cancer treatment. At one point, I thought we were going to lose him. With all of that, my writing career was nowhere, as well. (I am happy to report that my parents and brother are all doing very well now, thankfully).

As I’m rediscovering this book, it’s interesting to see what jumps out at me today, now that we’re in the midst of this pandemic, as opposed to a couple of years ago. For example, from page 22, this speaks to me: “Fear freezes our faith. But when we fight, our faith frees us from fear.”

I’m the first one to admit, I am one who can “freeze” when I’m fearful or overwhelmed. Lately, I’ve been absorbed in puzzles. And of course, crochet is very therapeutic. All of that is okay to do, but not if I’m hiding from fear or from an overwhelming task. I need to remind myself to be prayerful, and have faith. In that way, I can move forward for a day, or even a single moment, at a time.

We have to trust that God is in control. I don’t say this flippantly – it’s hard to do at times. Especially when our circumstances may not change (COVID-19 isn’t going to disappear tomorrow!). We can KNOW that God is in control, but when our problems are still there, it’s difficult to hang on to that trust and faith.

However, it’s essential to do. Pour out your worry in prayer, cling to God’s word, listen to worship music. Do what you need to do to find peace. God’s got this. Don’t let fear freeze your faith. Philippians 4:6 starts with “Do not be anxious about anything…” Every day, we need to hang on to that, pray and worship, and truly believe God is still here.

All of your problems may not be solved with a single cry-out to God, but you will find the strength to keep pushing ahead. In time, you will know and be able to see that our faith really can free us from fear!

(To learn more about Alli Worthington, and see her other books, visit her website at https://alliworthington.com/).  More to come from Fierce Faith in future blogs.