I vividly remember going to an AA meeting when I was 19 or 20 and listening to an "old timer" talk about his first meeting when he was just about my age. He said:
"I was hopeless and broken and wanted so much to be better. I didn't think I could talk, so I just listened. Everyone kept talking about needing to have faith in a higher power and I remember looking at a giant Oak tree outside the window. That tree seems to be doing better than me so I'm going to place my faith in it. I'm going to think about how big and old it is. I'm going to think about how strong and deep it's roots go. I'm going to have faith that I can be like that tree. I was feeling pretty damn good about my tree all week and was excited to attend another meeting. When I got there, everyone was talking about the awful storm that had rolled through the night before and all the damage that it had caused. I sat down in the same spot as last time next to the window. And I'll be damned if I didn't see a work crew out there cutting down what remained of my tree. A women leaned over and said, 'Isn't it a shame? It got struck by lightning and destroyed the roof of the building next door.' 'I'll say it's a shame... I chose that tree to be my higher power last week!' I groaned. 'Oh honey,' she laughed 'you should only put your faith in things that can't be destroyed. Only faith in God will get you through.' She was right. And I've been sober for 32 years because I put my faith in The One who died on a tree... The One who rose from the dead to never be destroyed."
As powerful as that story was, it still took ME about five more years before I personally placed my faith in Jesus Christ. After years of trying to find my own way I had to realize that the road of self discovery (faith in myself) was only taking me to places I never wanted to go. The day I realized I was lost was the day I recognized my sinfulness, my need for a Savior, and accept God's gift of Christ as my only means of redemption. The day I changed the object of my faith from me to HIM was the day that I got saved. Over time, I began to trust the Bible as my authority and guide and my faith in God began to grow and mature, for Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). I began to walk with confidence that Jesus Christ (the WORD of GOD) was the only reliable thing in which I could place my faith.
Faith is defined for us in the book of Hebrews:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ~ Hebrews 11:1
This particular chapter is known as "The Hall of Faith" as it proceeds to give accounts of the most faithful men and women of the Bible. For example, God told Noah to build an ark because He was going to bring a massive flood. Noah took God at His word and built the ark. God told Abraham to go out to a place that he would receive as an inheritance. Abraham took God at His word, left his familiar surroundings, and he went to where he was told to go. God indicated to Sarah, who was long past the age of childbearing, that she would conceive a son. The Scripture states: “She considered Him faithful who had promised.” She took God at His word. Regardless of circumstances, despite arguments of logic and reason, and regardless of how he or she felt, each person mentioned in Hebrews 11 believed God and His word and chose to be obedient.
In regards to equanimity, it is faith (believing God's word) that allows a person to WALK with wisdom, conviction and confidence when we encounter challenges, crisis or conflict.
What God says about His Word:
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” ~ Matthew 24:35
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." ~ 1 Peter 1:23
"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever."~ Isaiah 40:8
These verses indicate that life is perpetual change, and yet God’s Word remains constant. His truth never changes and it is by that truth we walk into eternal life. Even though heaven and earth will pass away, God’s Word will remain. This means that no matter how we may feel or what we experience, we can confidently choose to depend on the Word of God as the unchanging reality of our lives.
God’s Word is:
- truer than anything I feel
- truer than anything I experience
- truer than any circumstance I will ever face
- truer than anything in the world
I have shared with you many times how deeply I struggle with my feelings. It is only by stepping outside of myself and putting my faith in God that I am able to overcome the destructive nature of negative emotions. With each 'leap of faith" I find I am moving closer to equanimity.
An illustration of Faith:
"One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters." The boy jumped, because he trusted his father." ~ Donner Atwood.
Mind renewing truth: "Faith in Christ enables us to face life or meet death, not because we can see, but with the certainty that we are seen; not that we know all the answers, but that we are known by The One who does."
(Lov)e,
-k.
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