At the rate we hear and learn about negative news, it is inevitable for fear and anxiety to sometimes invade our sense of comfort. How do we battle out fear and find peace, when it seems to be tucked away forever?
Moments of Fearlessness
I have always been the kid who seemed to find reasons to stay calm. Whenever I met with trouble, an accident, or a circumstance that would disturb someone’s calm, I had this strange ability to steer the situation in the opposite direction. I was called the ‘collected’ kid for this reason.
Not too long ago, I was in my room getting dressed for the day. I was standing directly beneath my wall fan which had its swiftly rotating blades exposed because I had just cleaned the fan guard. I started to put clothes on, oblivious to the fact that my finger would be cut (thankfully, not fully) the moment I put my arm into the hole of my shirt.
I flinched, assessed my bleeding finger for a while, and proceeded to put on my shirt a little differently for someone who had almost sliced her finger in half. I went down the stairs, and showed the deep wound to my mom, who let out a shriek of horror. I laughed.
The crippling fear that we all fear
This experience has returned to my mind when my eyes have been bombarded with all the negative news that has circled around these past months. I felt real and powerful fear, for the first time in a long time. I wondered why I felt that way, and recounted times of trouble in the course of my life that had not given me this level of fear. I began to remember countless scriptural accounts on ‘rumors of wars’.
“And it came to pass that I beheld multitudes gathered together to battle, one against the other; and I beheld wars, and rumors of wars, and great slaughters with the sword among my people” (1 Nephi 12:2).
It became clear to me that we are living in this time, the time foretold in the scriptures when “the whole earth shall be in commotion” (D&C 45:26). The spine-crippling fear and worry that I felt intensified. I read news articles on terrorist attacks, lives of innocent people being taken, and the distress these events had caused. I thought about the people experiencing the terror firsthand, and wondered how they would be able to find peace that was seemingly lost.
If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear
The calm kid that I used to be was faltering. I had wondered how, in those times, I had been able to feel calm and collected. I realized that it had been my knowledge of what to do next, and my faith that I would be fine, eventually. I knew that I just had to clean my wound, staple it, cover it and let time heal it.
The late Elder L. Tom Perry said, “ The Lord has given us the comforting assurance that “if ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30). The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches hope and opportunity. To find the happiness we are seeking and rid ourselves of fear, we must be prepared.”
The greatest preparation is in arming ourselves with faith and trust in the Lord. That faith and trust is obtained by immersing ourselves in spiritual knowledge and continuous communication with Him. Peace is never lost, it is always within. Fighting to become spiritually prepared for this life’s adversities will always yield the promise of peace.
