Article March 22, 1993 Issue

The confidence that comes from trusting God

Feeling fear and doubt? Reliance on God gives us the courage to go forward.

Marian Cates

Self-Doubt can cripple action. You want to do something but aren't sure whether it's the right thing to do or the right time to do it, or whether you've got the strength and wisdom to carry it out. Action stalls while you weigh the pros and cons, often until either an opportunity is missed or the impulse to act is crushed under an avalanche of anxiety.

We all want to be confident, to act decisively and effectively, knowing that we're capable of meeting challenges. But if we base our confidence on merely personal strength and wisdom, we're susceptible to the pangs of self-doubt and the fear of failure that cripple action. If we base our confidence on trust in God's strength and wisdom, however, we feel a calm assurance that enables us to act decisively.

This confidence is born of a spiritual understanding of God; it's not blind faith, which demands trust without understanding and assumes God may or may not be willing or able to help. In harmony with the Bible, Christian Science affirms that God is the one, divine Mind—all-powerful, completely good, and the source of all intelligence. By communing with Him in sincere prayer, acknowledging His supreme goodness, and striving to follow His guidance, we strengthen our understanding of spiritual reality and consequently increase our ability to act intelligently.

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