Fear or Faith

I remember the moment I realized the Cold War was happening. Standing in my parents’ bedroom. A chill filled my stomach as a sense of vulnerability ran through me. Maybe I was eight or ten.
I asked my parents if the Russians would bomb us. My parents had lived through the Great Depression and World War II. They were not alarmed.
“Don’t worry about it. You can’t do anything about it anyway,” Mother said. Words that surprisingly reassured me.
Years later, the Iron Curtain fell. Peace came to the world.
But earthly peace is always temporary.
Today, a grandson and son-in-law discuss what to do should an “apocalypse” come in their lifetimes.  War, hunger, lawlessness. How to prepare. Self-defense, food and water.
There is no sense of chill in our conversation. No need to say, “Don’t worry, it’s beyond your control anyway.”
I mention the Amish–the people who know how to feed themselves but don’t defend themselves.
The grandson listens in earnest, but not in fear. No icy chill in him.
When his mother was young, I expected Christ to come, the world to see its last days. I expected to escape the troubles the last days promise.
My faith was small.
Faith that is big has been tested, and we have yet to face the test others endure today.
Peace can be ours no matter what goes on around us. I see it in a young man with hopes and dreams for the future.
I see it in the eyes of a young man with faith.
No chill. No fear. Trust and faith to carry into tomorrow, whatever it may bring.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

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