No Fear and Faith

-Shawn Hancock

I was once working on an art project for a children’s ministry. I noticed that one of the ladies in charge was always testing things. She would buy several types of paint to sample on different surfaces and she would ask an endless number of questions concerning the specifics of the project. I thought the process was very odd and honestly very frustrating. I just wanted to get started without all this prep work. When we finally got started, she asked me,
“How do you do it?”
“How do I do what?” I asked.
“How do you just jump into a project with a no fear attitude?”
I hadn’t given it much thought until she said something but I do have a no fear attitude when it comes to artistic things. I just thought she was being anal with the whole testing process, but the fact of the matter is she was afraid to get started.

I guess you could say that I have always had this no fear attitude. I have never been afraid of an art project. Some are more intimidating than others but I have always jumped into it. I guess it is because I am comfortable with the process and comfortable with my ability as an artist. I wish it were that way for me with business, people skills and other aspects of life.

I was thinking back on that event and realized that it is the same with faith. It really isn’t about our ability or even our standing with God. It is more about how comfortable we are and about jumping in. The comfort level comes with knowing that God is loving and cares about the things we care about. In knowing that there is really nothing to be afraid of, and being comfortable in the process of asking and receiving. I admire Missy when she prays at the drop of a hat. Someone will often ask her to keep them in her prayers and she will reply “let’s pray right now!” We have seen God do great things for us and I believe it is because Missy is quick and comfortable enough to ask.

Sometimes we get this idea that we bug God. We tend to think that if we are going to ask God for something it shouldn’t be something insignificant. It should be a good prayer about something important. The problem with that is, if you don’t have the faith for the small thing, how are you going to have the faith for the big thing? Don’t wait for someone you love to be on their death bed before you start asking. I’m not saying He won’t answer your prayer at that time. I’m saying, if you start building your faith on the small things you won’t have a problem asking for a big thing. This is because you have already seen the fruit of your prayers.

When I was a kid I made many mistakes in my art projects but as an adult I have more confidence in these projects. I’m sure everyone has the same confidence in something they do. We need to keep in mind that faith is the same way. An experienced plumber doesn’t hesitate when he installs a sink. It is second nature to him and so should our faith be second nature to us. After all there is nothing to fear.