"Then one day it hit me--dissecting the miraculous from the mundane isn't the primary goal of a believer. God is not sitting around waiting for me to give him credit for some divine activity that he's hidden inside obscurity. He's placed me inside a miraculous whole, a macro universe that operates according to his mind-blowing laws of biology, chemistry, and physics. Inside this miraculous whole, micro compressions of God's creative power--miraculous instances--sometimes display God's direct intervention. For example, on the same day that grapes grown by common grace were fermenting slowly in jugs (the miraculous whole), Jesus also turned one batch of water very quickly into wine (the miraculous instance). Both exist on the continuum of the divine creation. Both testify to our Father's involvement in the universe" (91).
"When the Bible speaks about fear--which is often--if speaks to all of this complexity. God knows your defaults. He knows your instincts. He knows your biology, your chemistry, your genetics, your experiences, ad your intellectual capacity. Every connection that occurs in your nervous system, every fluid released by every gland, every physiological reaction--from the lump in your throat to the drop of your stomach--is seen by the God who made you.
"This means that when JEsus comes to the believer saying, 'Do not fear,' he's not like humans who tell you not to worry. He understands what others cannot understand about us because he knows us back and forth, inside and out. He knows that for some of us, this is a command to walk on land, and for others, it's a command to walk on water" (93).
"So when feelings of fear, anxiety, or restlessness do hit, it's important to see them for what they are. They aren't indications that God has abandoned us. They aren't indications that we have messed up or that we are on the wrong track. They are emotions to address. That's all" (101).
"So if you struggle with fear while someone in your religious community brags about his or her boldness, don't let that comparison go too deep. This difference might not result from spiritual maturity so much as chemical capacity. And besides that, you serve a God who isn't limited by your fear. In fact, it's possible that your inborn sensitivity is vital to the specific work God has prepared for you" (102).
"So what if instead of shaming ourselves for our feelings, trying to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and hating ourselves when we fail, we took time to admit the real truth of our situation to God? What if we just said, 'Lord, I am scared. I need some help with this fear'? This is a powerful step to take because the gospel isn't about working harder to prove ourselves--it's about the power of God living in incapable humans" (103).
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