Opposites Attract

“Opposites attract,” it’s a phrase we’ve heard all our lives. It’s said as a compliment, particularly when said of two completely wrong for each other people who have found themselves in a relationship and it somehow works. To the uninformed sometimes it doesn’t make sense. The republican and the democrat, the nerd and the beautiful actress, the millionairess and the pool boy (no wait, that one I understand).

But you get the idea. Negative and positives are attracted to each other. Generally this is not something to be alarmed about unless you are a millionairess. But there is an opposites-relationship we must look out for and that we all must deal with though we are not millionaires and even if we are.

Everyday we are faced with opposite but not necessarily equal forces. Both are competing for our lives. One is stronger than the other. One, when given the proper chance, will always beat the other. But it must be given the chance or it stands no chance and in turn neither do we.

We are given the choice almost daily in myriad different ways to choose between trusting or fearing. If we are given the chance to stretch ourselves and do something new, if we are given the opportunity to lean on God, if we are reaching beyond ourselves and striving for more, if we are trying to succeed then we are being asked to trust God.

And if we are being asked to trust God – fear is knocking on our door. Fear is telling us we’re crazy to trust. Fear is telling us we will fail. Fear is telling us it will never work out. Fear is telling us we don’t measure up, that we are not good enough, that God will not come through for us. Fear is telling us not to trust.

Here is the little lie fear does not want us to know – trust always beats fear. Trust is a fear killer.

Don’t believe me, ask Peter. Jesus asked him to get out of the boat in the middle of a raging storm and walk on the water to him. Peter didn’t think much of the idea. He paused to double check. Fear was holding him in place. He said to Jesus “if it is you” command me to come to you. Fear told him, he was seeing things, that the Man he’d seen perform miracles couldn’t walk on water, so he waited. When Jesus responded for Peter to “come”, Peter did. Peter trusted Jesus and in the middle of a huge storm climbed out of a boat and tried to do the impossible because he trusted Jesus. And Peter walked on the water. (Matt. 14:25-29).

Well, he did until he lost his trust and fear took hold again. Peter “saw” the wind. He took his eyes and focus off Jesus and his trust was replaced by his circumstances. He replaced his trust with fear and doubt. His thoughts turned most likely to things like – “What am I doing? I am a man, I can’t walk on water. I’m going to drown out here.” And indeed he began to sink. Until he began to trust again. (Matt. 14:30-31).

Fear stands no chance against trust. Trust wins each and every time. But fear is a joy killer. Worry and anxiety crushes our joy faster than the speed of light. If we are experiencing anxiety we are not trusting. We cannot trust and worry at the same time.

We have to pick one.

Fear is the easier choice. For some reason we think worry is the natural way to go. We like to think forward and project the future and usually that future turns out well for others but not for us. Other people are talented enough to do things but not us. Other people succeed but not us. Fear, worry and anxiety will always fight for our attention in an attempt to suck the joy and happiness out of our lives.

But if we choose to trust we will have our joy to the fullest.

If we choose to get out of the boat and keep our focus on God and our thoughts on the fact that He put the talents in us, if we choose to keep in mind that we are all created with the same love from God and He is the strength by which we get things done, if we do not lose sight of the fact that God does what we cannot do, and that a job done to the best of our abilities but that still might fall short is still a success then we will never lose our joy and fear has no power in our lives.

Trust and fear are not compatible. We must keep our eyes off the wind and on God.

Opposites may attract, but like the millionairess and the pool boy, some relationships are doomed from the start.
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