Facing the future with faith 

Every morning, I wake up to words of WhatsApp wisdom. I receive moralistic messages  instructing me on how to get through life, and respond with similar sagacious advice.  The trouble is that these profound precepts are easier to forward than follow. 

Among other things, we are told that whatever lies ahead, there is no cause for dread. ‘Do not be afraid of tomorrow. God is already there,’ proclaims a post, endorsing the belief in divine dominance that is central to my world-view.

The Bible, which has been my guide and guardian these past few decades, reassuringly declares: The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.’ There is also the comforting, ‘Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you.’ These are just two of the promises I hold close to my heart.

Now, one might assume, quite justifiably, that since I subscribe to these scriptural sayings, I bounce out of bed at dawn, eager to embark on the day’s adventures. While agility might not be practical at my age, nothing stops me from greeting the sunrise with serenity. I must regretfully admit that I am frequently filled with a sense of apprehension rather than anticipation. 

Recently, I had a problem with my knee, and convinced myself that surgery was inevitable. I braced myself for the procedure, and the ensuing weeks of immobility. I almost wept with relief when the orthopaedic said smilingly that I did not even require an x-ray, much less any form of invasive treatment. He was confident that oral medication and simple exercises would set me right. I could have saved myself several hours of anxiety if I had only been ‘positive’, as texts on WhatsApp repeatedly urge us to be. 

Not that optimism always leads to opportune outcomes. Talking of hospital consultations, many brave and cheerful patients have been handed a bleak prognosis. Some would say that being grimly prepared for the worst is a sound strategy to steer through the stormy seas of human existence. The people I admire greatly, however, are those who confront impending trials with exemplary equanimity. Although momentarily overcome by doubt and dismay, they face the future with faith, not fear.