BEWARE THE EGO'S NEED

We often hear what I believe is quite simply a canard; i.e., You cannot have fear if you have faith; you cannot have faith if you have fear. 

I make bold to say What. A. Crock. 

Jesus is reported to have asked God (from the Cross!) "Why hast Thou forsaken me?" Now, either the Man had faith or he didn't, and don't tell me that question wasn't boatloaded with fear. I mean, He was hanging from the Cross for Pete's sake...that is a freaking fearsome place to be. I rest my harangue.

I'm betting the I, me, my desire is really for no fear, so the religious folk slimed us with "perfect faith" as our yardstick. Who's kidding whom?  Perfect faith, ergo no fear...ever...is the ego's need for certitude and perfect clarity.  

There's every chance in the world my belief is self-serving but isn't all faith? Without that's being its purpose? 

I have written much lately about my "newcomer" feelings...feeling unmoored, insecure, stand-offish, uneasy. This my 50th year of seeking still more spiritual growth...on purpose...has led me to a place I've never been before. (As if every single day of our life doesn't do just that if we're going to be scrupulous about it.)

 

The gift, the pearl beyond price, that I'm wallowing in is the fun (!) I'm having with these untethered feelings. Imagine. These feelings that I had when I started up/down this path 50 years ago and prayed God to take from me...ah, today are more proof that my self-determined worst case can become God's perfect gift to me for my benefit.

According to Rohr:  It seems a movement from certitude to doubt and through doubt to acceptance of life’s mystery is necessary in all encounters, intellectual breakthroughs, and relationships, not just with the Divine. (Fr Richard Rohr's "Daily Meditation," February 3, 2021)

There. Don't tell me we have no faith if we have fear. Now I rest my harangue.

 
Creativity flourishes not in certainty but in questions. Growth germinates not in tent dwelling but in upheaval. Yet the seduction is always security rather than venturing, instant knowing rather than deliberate waiting. -- Author Sue Monk Kidd 

OK, now.

Thank you.