In my early teenage years, I experienced real fear. I was on vacation with my family, and one of our day-time activities was to go repelling off a cliff. I watched the others repel down the steep rocky mountain side, and they all said it was so much fun. However, when it was my turn, I became paralyzed with fear. I looked out at the rocks below me, and couldn’t take the backwards step off the cliff. When I, with much encouragement, finally took that literal leap of faith, I began to cry. It wasn’t fun at all. In fact, I thought I was going to die.
I was belayed to the guide at the top, and as I dangled in mid-air, I clung to the rope, and cried up to him, “Pull me up! I can’t do this! Pull me up!” Little by little, I was talked down that mountain side while I wept, but I made it to the solid earth below, and did not die.
Can you identify times in your life when you have been petrified with fear or worry? You might be experiencing such a time now. Life presents each of us with times when we can be overcome with fear for ourselves or for those we love.
In my case, repelling seems like a piece of cake compared to what I’ve had to go through since then. When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2003, I was terrified that I would not survive, and when I did, I didn’t want to. The cancer had left me blind and I worried about how I would function. How COULD I do it? Would the cancer return? I was consumed with fear- fear for myself and for my little family. How would I be able to care for my sons? Would I ever again be strong enough or able to be a good wife to my sweet husband? Would I ever be happy again? It’s impossible to describe the fear that continually gripped my heart and mind for nearly a year.
My personal fears may not seem like much to others, but they were overwhelming to me. Over time, with the help of Heavenly Father, my fear gradually faded and was replaced with feelings of confidence and hope. I’d like to say that I have never struggled with fear again, but that is not the case. There is always the fear in the back of my mind that I’ll have to again battle cancer, or other serious health problems.
There seems to be a never ending supply of things for each of us to fear or worry about; however, if WE remain in fear, then WE are not fully living with faith. The scriptures contain so many promises from the Lord which have helped me be more faith-filled.
Let’s consider these verses from Isaiah. The Lord is speaking to you and to me:
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
“For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee“(Isa. 41: 10, 13).
God does not break his promises– not ever. He has promised you and me that he will help us and that we don’t need to fear. That seems to sound great on paper, but how do we really do it? We communicate constantly with our Father, and stay close to him and to his Spirit. When we do this, we can place our fears and worries at his feet because we know and trust him. His strength will come. It will.
As we continually turn our fears to the Lord, we will be able to feel as Enos did about his worries. Enos had so much faith and trust in the Lord, that when he made a covenant with him, he was able to say, “And I, Enos, knew it would be according to the covenant which he had made; wherefore my soul did rest” (Enos 1:17).
Isn’t that amazing? He was able to “rest”. His soul no longer needed to worry because it was in the Lord’s hands, and Enos trusted the Lord and his covenant.
It can be the same for us. We can find rest in the covenants we have made with the Lord. We can trust that he will help us. Of course, we will be faced with fears, but we do not have to remain afraid.
Looking back on my repelling experience, I realize, that although I was terrified and utterly sure of death, I was actually safe and held secure by the guide above me. If I would have placed more trust in him and listened to his directions, I would have actually enjoyed the experience. I would have realized that I had the capability to do such a difficult task.
And so it is with our lives. If we stay connected to the Lord, and listen to his instructions and promptings, we will know and feel that we truly are in his hands. With his promised help, we have the capacity to do difficult things.
