“Let’s not allow fear to condition us to expect the worst.”

A thought by Christine Caine from her book, Unexpected: Leave Fear Behind, Move Forward in Faith, Embrace the Adventure (p. 53). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

You see, we have a choice in the way we face the unexpected happenings of our world.

Christine says, “I believe God wants us to get to a place of such great faith that we anticipate the gains that are coming into our lives as we continue to trust him no matter what we’re facing. It’s part of how we become more like Christ.

“When Jesus was on the cross, facing death, he thought of more than his immediate suffering. He thought of more than the fierceness of the enemy’s attack. He thought of us, and what his present circumstance would produce in our future. And he showed us how to live free from the fear that inevitably comes with the unexpected. Later, the apostle Peter drew on Christ’s example when he wrote:

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake in Christ’s sufferings, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” 1 PETER 4:12–13 NKJV, emphasis added.

Christine then says, “’Do not think it strange.’ We could read that as: Do not be afraid of the unexpected. Do not think, What next? Let’s not allow fear to condition us to expect the worst. Instead, let’s courageously move through every new event expecting God to do something great with our lives, trusting him at a new level of faith.

“When we partake in Christ’s sufferings, we resist the temptation of limiting God to our present understanding, believing that he is writing the story of our lives that will inevitably lead to a conclusion of victory. We resist the temptation to panic, to think it is the end, to lose hope for our future. We resist the pressure to worry and stress and be overcome. We resist giving in and quitting. Jesus’s suffering on the cross was something he looked through to the rest of the story—our story—of redemption and salvation and triumph. Yes, he asked God to ‘let this cup pass from me,’ but he moved forward. (Luke 22:42) He mustered his strength, and though tempted with anxiety and fear, even to the point of sweating drops of blood, he still approached the cross fearlessly. He had an eternal perspective that is so different from our natural, short-term thinking.”

And we are called to be like Christ, aren’t we?

Yes, yes!