EXPRESSIONS OF FAITH
Nothing's easy, but be trustful

By H. Murray Hohns

I don't know about you, but there are moments in my life where I am afraid, times when I wonder if I can make it. I know I am not alone in my fears because I get to talk and to pray with others and, in that role, I sometimes learn of their fears.

As I write, I think of a young woman whose husband spends his evenings on the Internet looking for liaisons with other women. She has two little girls, but while she hates what he is doing and is terribly unhappy, she is too frightened to complain or leave. My fears are similar, though they do not involve infidelity. The similarity is the underlying question: "Will there be enough for us? How will I make it?"

It is so difficult at times, and the unexpected comes around far too often. "Nothing is easy" has become a byword in my world.

My wife and I are in our golden years. I no longer earn a regular living in the marketplace. While we looked forward to no longer having to go to work every day and to a pension and savings to provide for us, we still have all the worries we used to have.

Our investments have suffered; interest rates are so low, they look inadequate to carry out our earlier plans.

What once looked like more than enough now appears to be too little. What will we do? What will happen to us? Will God really provide for us as we get older?

I can get all worked up if I dwell on the uncertainties of the future. My upset can go really deep, and my imagination and the whispers of the devil and his minions can stop me in my tracks while I try to put that fear into its proper place and get victory over my concerns.

Scripture tells us the best antidote for times like these is to remember what God has done for you and me in days gone by. In that view I have also learned that it helps to read the thoughts of other godly people and how the Almighty met their needs.

I was having one of those under-my-rock days when I picked up a book by Rabbi Schneerson and read: "What makes you think that the Source of blessings will run out of ways to care for you?"

Then I thought about my weight (over, not under) problem and all the food that has ever graced my plate for more than 70 years. With that, I came out from under my rock.

Nothing is easy, though we have seen over and over that God has underguided us through all the impossible places we traveled in our lives.

When all seemed too dark to overcome, he was there working on our behalf in the darkness. We could not see him nor appreciate what he was doing, but when the next page turned, we realized that he was there all the time. It is not easy because he wants us to depend on him and not ourselves. Trust him. He is the mighty God.

H. Murray Hohns of Makiki is a retired engineer and an associate pastor at New Hope Christian Fellowship.

Expressions of Faith is a column that welcomes written works by leaders in faith and spirituality. E-mail faith@honoluluadvertiser.com or call 525-8035. Articles submitted to The Advertiser may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.