Fake or Faithful?
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
I used to think that if I didn’t feel it, I shouldn’t say it.
If I said, “God is good,” while my heart was aching…
If I said, “I trust Him,” while anxiety still squeezed my chest…
If I lifted my hands in worship while questions were louder than clarity…
Was that fake?
Somewhere along the way, many of us absorbed the idea that authenticity means acting only on what we feel in the moment. If we don’t feel grateful, don’t say thank you. If we don’t feel trusting, don’t speak trust. If we don’t feel hopeful, don’t claim hope.
But there’s a difference between being fake and being faithful.
Fake is acting on your feelings or circumstances, contrary to what you know is true.
Faith is acting on what you know is true, contrary to your feelings or circumstances.
That difference changes everything.
Fake Pretends
Being fake is pretending something doesn’t hurt when it does.
It’s denying the grief.
Ignoring the disappointment.
Stuffing down the questions.
That isn’t faith. That’s avoidance.
God has never asked us to pretend. The Psalms are full of raw honesty — confusion, anger, doubt, lament. Faith has room for tears.
Faith Anchors
Faith doesn’t deny the storm.
It anchors us in the middle of it.
Faith says:
“I am scared… and I know God is still sovereign.”
“I am grieving… and I know God is still good.”
“I don’t understand… and I know He sees what I cannot.”
Faith does not require your emotions to agree before you move.
It simply asks: What do you know to be true?
Not, what do you feel?
Not, what does it look like right now?
Not, what are others saying?
What do you know?
You know His character has been faithful before.
You know His Word has not changed.
You know His promises are not fragile.
Faith acts from that place.
Feelings Are Real — But They Aren’t Reliable
Feelings matter. They tell us something. They alert us. They invite us to pay attention.
But they are terrible leaders.
Circumstances shift. Emotions surge and recede. What feels overwhelming today may feel manageable tomorrow.
Truth does not move like that.
When we act only on feelings, we will constantly shift direction. We will call something “right” when it feels good and “wrong” when it feels hard. We will mistake discomfort for danger and delay for denial.
Faith steadies us.
It says, “This feels unbearable… but I will still obey.”
“This feels unfair… but I will still trust.”
“This feels unclear… but I will still take the next faithful step.”
That isn’t fake.
That’s courage.
Faith Is Not Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy is pretending to believe something you don’t.
Faith is choosing to live aligned with what you believe — even when your emotions haven’t caught up yet.
There’s a holy tension here.
You can cry and still worship.
You can question and still obey.
You can tremble and still move forward.
That isn’t spiritual performance.
It’s faith in action.
The Quiet Strength of Faithfulness
Sometimes faith looks dramatic — mountains moving, chains breaking, miracles unfolding.
More often, it looks quiet.
It looks like getting up again.
Speaking truth over your own spiraling thoughts.
Refusing to let bitterness take root.
Choosing integrity when no one would know the difference.
It looks like holding to what you know when everything around you feels uncertain.
Not loud.
Not flashy.
Just steady.
And steady faith builds a steady life.
If you’ve been afraid that trusting God while still struggling makes you fake, let this settle your heart:
Faith isn’t pretending you’re not hurting.
It’s refusing to let hurt decide what is true.
You don’t have to feel prepared to move forward.
You don’t have to feel strong to choose obedience.
You don’t have to feel fearless to stand on truth.
You simply have to act on what you know.
Even if you’re not feeling it.
Especially then.
🖤 Terra
©2026 (inspired by a sticky note in my 2019 journal)
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