Chapter Six

Fear or Faith: Both Ask Me to Believe

Fear and faith have something in common. Both ask me to believe in an outcome I cannot currently see. Fear says, ‘What if everything goes wrong?’ Faith asks, ‘What if something beautiful is unfolding?’ Neither future is physically present, yet my body can begin responding as though the imagined outcome has already occurred. … I once confused bracing with preparation. If I imagined disappointment in advance, perhaps it would hurt less. If I expected rejection, perhaps I would not be surprised. Bracing did not protect my peace. It removed my peace before anything had happened. I could experience an unwanted future in imagination and carry its emotional weight into the present. Fear was not predicting reality. It was rehearsing a possibility. Once I understood that, I asked: If I am going to imagine something unseen, why not make room for a favorable outcome? … The word persisted matters. A new assumption may not feel natural the first time I choose it because the old expectation has years of repetition behind it. Persistence does not mean fighting every unwanted thought. It means returning. Fear appears, and I return. The outside looks unchanged, and I return. I notice myself looking for proof, and I return. I return to: I am peace. I am loved. I am safe to receive. I am whole and complete.

You may recognize this as suffering in Advance, treating Fear as Intuition, or demanding Proof Before Peace.