“I’m going to be brutally honest,” a woman said in our recent Zoom meeting.

She cleared her throat, “Are Christians lying? or are some of them faking, or covering up the truth? Even though we’re believers, how can we not feel fear, have moments of doubt and feel like screaming? God, this is enough!”

No one in the group answered. Could it be because we agreed with her?

In silence, we hid those same emotions deep inside. We managed to cover them under the notion of having enough faith.

But who could blame us? 

We’re human and although we’re believers in Christ, we’re afraid to open up and admit that, yes, sometimes we wake up and wonder what will be next? Other times we can’t even receive God’s Word well enough to face all the ugliness that paints this dark world.

But what spreads more subtly than the pandemic of anxiety is the number of Christians who face that battle between sinking in fear and standing in faith. Peter experienced the same dilemma when the storm came. He should have believed Jesus would protect him and kick fear to the curb. Instead, he blurted words of fear and worry, contagious enough to spread to the other disciples. Peter thought He was on his own, defenseless and unequipped to fight the battle of fear.

We’re all in that same boat, struck by that same storm of uncertainty. And while holding on tight hoping we won’t be crushed, we must choose the group to which we belong. The one that will sink in the deep waters of anxiety, swallowed by fear, or the group who looks to God for His wisdom and has the audacity to look beyond the circumstances and dares to invite faith in. This group ponders on His victory, declares He already took care of the danger, and steps under His banner of ultimate glory.

That’s why we choose to stand on His side as He fights our battles. And wearing the garment of gratitude, we do our part by joining Him with the weapons of faith, commitment, truth and confidence.