Faith over fear

Everyone has an opinion.  Everyone has heard something from someone who they consider an expert.  A lot of people are outraged about something and then a lot of other people are outraged about the exact opposite.

It's exhausting.

I usually like to try to figure out (at least in my own mind--I don't know if I'm accurate) what is motivating people so that I can try to understand where they are coming from.  When I hear someone say, "I can't imagine why someone would think that!" or "I can't imagine why someone would vote for them!" then I think we have a problem.  Imagining why is a good mental exercise.

As I think about the people I've talked to or read about or seen on social media, I think fear is motivating a lot of us.

Fear motivates people who are downplaying the virus.

Fear motivates people who think the virus is going to destroy us all.

Fear motivates people who want to defund the police.

Fear motivates people who decry protesters.

Fear motivates people who want everyone to wear a mask.

Fear motivates people who don't want to be told they have to wear a mask.

Fear motivates people who want schools to open, no matter what.

Fear motivates people who don't want schools to open, no matter what.

***

We were friends with Taylor Halverson at Yale.  He and his wife were attending the Yale Divinity School and were also Braeden's nursery leaders.  I'd like to think having Yale Divinity School students as his first formal gospel teachers put Braeden on a good path.  Taylor is a BYU religion professor now and I get his emails about Come Follow Me lessons.  They're good.  A few weeks ago, this was part of the email.

During His last supper with His disciples, Jesus predicted that one of His closest companions would reject His teachings and betray Him. The response of each disciple is instructive and relevant today. (See Matthew 26:21-22) 

Instead of pointing the finger of blame, they each asked, “Lord, is it I?” 

Instead of lashing out in anger against their neighbor, they each asked, “Lord, is it I? 

Instead of wishing for others to change first, they each asked, “Lord, is it I?” 

Instead of assuming the worst in others, they each asked, “Lord, is it I?"

We can take courage from the example of Jesus’s early disciples who had the humility and patience to start with the heart of the matter, their own hearts.

 ***

Our vegetable "garden" has exactly two plants.  A small compact cherry tomato plant and a big zucchini plant.  The zucchini plant has had a few little zucchini that turned yellow before anything could become of them (I don't know what's wrong with it) and I got a handful of tomatoes off the tiny tomato plant this morning.

The loud attention grabbing zucchini plants aren't always the most valuable or productive.

When I start feeling overwhelmed by the discordant and contradictory and sometimes scary voices around me, I'm going to think about my little tomato plant and I'm going to start small.

I can start with my own heart.  And I can have faith.  Faith conquers fear.  I can't fix everything or maybe anything but I can have faith in my own heart.  I can be a positive light. I can try.