Blog #145 Fear vs Faith

One of my biggest challenges as a newcomer to recovery was to release myself from the mental and emotional condition I was living. Nothing was more necessary than moving from fear to faith. As do many concepts and ideas, things look much easier on paper than they are when we play them out in real life. Moving from fear to living in faith is one of those things. We must do this if we are to become well.

One of the things that I have learned in my recovery is that the battle between fear and faith is always present. Sometimes it is more challenging than others, but if we continue to work in that direction, it does get easier over time. Not only does it get easier over time, but our faith becomes stronger, as fear is pushed back and often removed. When we first come to recovery, most of us have been living in fear for years. Matter of fact if it were not for fear we would not know how to act.

For many of us, removing a substance would be sufficient for moving us from fear to a position of faith. However, merely not doing one thing does not automatically unsure of something else. We must actively dismiss fear as we are acquiring faith. Let’s go ahead and look at fear and faith side by side. Remember fear is “false evidence appearing real.” Fear is usually based on an external reaction or response from our past. Faith is something acquired on our journey moving forward.

Fear

definitions by dictionary.com

1. a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

• a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling: an abnormal fear of heights.

• concern or anxiety; solicitude: a fear for someone’s safety.

• that which causes a feeling of being afraid; that of which a person is afraid: Cancer is a common fear.

As we begin taking the 12 steps, learning from our recovery material, and relating to those who have come before us. We start to believe that recovery can work for us. At this point, we are taking our first steps of faith.

Faith

definitions by dictionary.com

1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another’s ability

• A belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the theory would be substantiated by fact.

• belief in a Higher Power, God of your understanding, particular doctrines, or teachings.

• belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.

Daily, we must renew our commitment to ourselves to become well. Wellness is only accomplished as we move from fear to faith. We learn to trust our Higher Power, the program of recovery, and others as we “Trudge the Road to Happy Destiny” (AA Big Book).

“Above all take it one day at a time.”     

Bill W. page 11 of   How It Works