What does Faith over Fear really mean? Is fear always a bad thing?

When I first heard the phrase, “faith over fear” I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. As someone who has dealt with anxiety my whole life, it almost felt dismissive of my struggles. It kind of felt like the stereotype of “if you have more faith, you won’t have anxiety” which just isn’t true.

So what does the phrase actually mean then? And is being fearful and anxious always a bad thing?

Is Anxiety always a bad thing?

Anxiety and fear have negative reputations, and for a good reason. Most of the time they are annoyances that get in the way of functionality. But is that always the case? Aren’t we, as Catholics, called to love AND FEAR God?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; prudent are all who practice it. His praise endures forever.”

Ps 111: 10 Our Sunday Visitor NAB bible

What does it mean to “Fear God?”

Ok, so what does fearing God actually mean? Does it mean we should be scared of Him? Not necessarily. Thankfully, I didn’t have to search for this answer very long as there was a footnote in my bible for this particular quote. It says, “111:10 The Fear of the Lord: reverence for God.”

So fearing God has nothing to do with being scared of Him, but respecting Him as our creator and Holy Father. And this quote is telling us, if we fear Him, He will provide for us.

Fear is a part of our instincts

In addition to that, sometimes fear actually protects us. How many of us are taught as kids not to touch the stove, because it’s hot. If you touch it then you get burned. The fear of getting burned is what leads us not to touch the stove. Or, if you catch your young child about to do something dangerous, you yell out, NO! It might scare them, but it protects them from getting hurt.

Or as parents, how many times has your child been sick where you decided to take them to the doctor to get checked? Why did you take them in? There is a fear that something is not right, and if it’s not addressed now, it could get worse. That fear is a protective instinct to help you and your family.

I feel like sometimes, that’s what God does for us. Does anyone get a feeling when you’re doing something, that it’s not a great idea and you should stop? Do you think that maybe that’s actually your Guardian angel looking out for you? I also think that sometimes God communicates with us through anxiety/fear, as another form of protection. I know that sounds a little weird, but here is a story that might explain what I mean.

God used anxiety to communicate with me

I know this sounds bizarre. But there were a few times where I felt anxious when I normally wouldn’t where I believe that God was trying to guard my heart. My pregnancy with Jesse ended as a missed miscarriage, meaning that I had no prior knowledge that something was wrong before my appointment. But for some reason, I felt really uneasy on the drive to that appointment. Something didn’t feel right. It was only during the ultrasound that my fears were made true and I found out they were justified.

As strange as it sounds, I think God gave me that anxiety on the drive to prepare my heart so I wasn’t in complete shock at the doctor’s office. I had the same uneasy feeling before my anatomy scan with Theresa that something was wrong. And sure enough, medical issues were found at that scan (though thankfully nothing too serious). I’ve also seen stories of women who have had dreams about losing their baby before it happened. God finds ways to communicate with us to help protect us. And sometimes, anxiety/fear might be a way of communication.

When anxiety negatively affects my life

“Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commands. His descendants shall be mighty in the land, a generation of the upright will be blessed.”

Ps 112:1-2 Our Sunday Visitor NAB bible

Last week we got some snow, which is pretty typical for the Midwest this time of year. But the schools got let out early because of this snowstorm, and 7-8inches was in the forecast, so I was anticipating at least a 2 hour delay for the next day. Normally I would be stressed about driving in the snow and concerned about what the next day would look like (more than stress, I’m talking about anxiety stress), but because of the amount in the forecast, I really thought I wouldn’t have to deal with it.

Imagine my surprise the next day when I woke up to only about 3-4 inches of snow and no delays or cancellations whatsoever. Panic started to slowly seep into my mind as I realized that I’d have to drive Rebecca to school with roads that have kind of been plowed. I didn’t know what road conditions would actually be like, it was still snowing and starting to stick again, and I didn’t get up early enough to shovel the driveway.

I quickly tried to get the kids breakfast and make sure they were getting ready to leave so I could go outside and start shoveling the driveway. But before I made it outside, I got an email showing that Gabriel’s bus was running 30-45 minutes late. That would make pickup time right when I had to drop Rebecca off at school. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I knew I had to shovel.

Of course, it was wet snow. Heavy snow. And it was not fun. I was feeling anxious, angry that schools didn’t delay, and to be honest, I was also feeling sorry for myself. Anxiety has the nasty ability to start a spiral of negative thoughts. And that’s what it had done for me that day.

As I was caught up in these spiraling thoughts, a construction truck drove by. The driver saw me struggling to shovel, stopped, and asked if I needed help. I graciously took him up on his offer, and he proceeded to plow our driveway! Once he had finished I thanked him and went inside to see that Gabriel’s bus actually wasn’t delayed, and would be on time.

God was watching out for me and showed me that through this man’s act of kindness. And my morning got so much better after that. The construction worker’s act of kindness completely changed my thought process and gave me the confidence I needed to drive Rebecca to school and know that we would be ok.

Who do you go to when you are afraid?

We all have something that makes us nervous. Some of us may have more severe cases of anxiety than others. Some, to the point where maybe we need some extra help managing it. (*Here is your note that seeking help for any sort of mental health issue is perfectly ok and in fact, encouraged!). But that does not make anyone less faithful. However, there are ways we can go about practicing our faith despite these anxieties.

That morning when we got the snow that caused chaos in my household and mind, my first reaction was panic. Never in those moments did I stop and think to pray. Would that have gotten rid of my anxiety completely? No, if I’m honest, probably not. But would it have helped to remind me that God is with me in my suffering? Yes.

Who is the first person a child wants when they are scared? Their mom and dad. Because they know that their parents will take care of them and make sure they stay safe. As children of God, we should be doing the same thing. When we are scared, we should go to our heavenly Father (and can also seek help from our heavenly mother) for comfort and security. He wants us to go to Him!

So what does Faith over Fear actually mean?

Does it mean that I have my anxiety because I don’t have enough faith?

No!

We live in a fallen world. There are going to be things that scare you. There are going to be trials of suffering, many that come with anxiety. Faith over fear means knowing that God will be with you through whatever trials you face.

“He shall not fear an ill report; his heart is steadfast, trusting the Lord.”

Ps 112:7 Our Sunday Visitor NAB Bible

It is another way of saying to TRUST in God. Trust that He will be there and will be holding you in the palm of His hand. His presence and guidance might look different than what you anticipate it to look like; sometimes we think that God being with us means that nothing bad will happen. But that’s not always the case. Everyone endures some suffering. But despite the suffering and fear God is with us and has a plan.

Conclusion

So, is fear always bad? No, not always.

There are different types of fear; Reverent, instinctual (protective), and then the harmful kind. Reverent fear is what we as Catholics are called to have towards God. Protective fear is part of our instincts for survival. But it’s the fear that causes unnecessary worry to the point of disrupting our lives that’s the problem.

And that’s when placing faith over fear, or trust in God, will help us. We go to Him (in addition to any other mental health treatments you may need) with our fears, and He is there to comfort us.

Remember that when life gets scary, your heavenly father is waiting with open arms for you to come to Him!

Remember to fear the Lord, protect your family, and also have faith in God.