And He Hushes Our Fears

"Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake; for whoso layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again." -Doctrine and Covenants 123:7

I came across this scripture this morning and thought, "what do I need to lay down? What things in my life are keeping me from completely trusting in the Savior?" As I started making my typical list of weaknesses that I could improve on, like saying better prayers or being kinder to others, it hit me. Above all of these, there is one weakness of mine that consistently holds me back. And that's FEAR.

Fear: noun: "a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid." 

Fear: Bible Dictionary: "...fear is something unworthy of a child of God, something that perfect love casteth out"  

Thought: our perfect love of Christ, our trust in Him as our Savior and Redeemer can cat out our fears. 

Elder Bednar expounds more fully on this exact principle in his most recent Conference address,

"...fear is dispelled through a correct knowledge of and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." 
"Jesus Christ is the only source of enduring peace." 
"The power of the Atonement...strengthens us to see, do, and become good in ways that we could never recognize or accomplish with our limited mortal capacity." 
"The peace that Christ provides allows us to view mortality through the precious perspective of eternity and supplies a spiritual settledness." 

We can think of it this way as well: 

"Depression is living in the past, anxiety is living in the future, and peace is living in the moment." 

It doesn't matter so much what we do five minutes from now as how we live our life NOW.

I'm so grateful for the Holy Ghost that continually reaches out to teach and guide us. I pledge to strive to live each day with a little less fear and a little more trust. Because of Him, we can find peace and not live in fear.