Be of Good Cheer and Do Not Fear

In Doctrine and Covenants 68:6, it reads, “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I, the Lord, am with you, and will stand by you . . .”

I’ve spent a lot of my life in fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of getting a disease, fear of having a car accident, fear of one of my kids getting hurt, fear of things happening in the world, fear of losing people I love to death.

My fear began when I was a child. I lost my father when I was four years old. It was December 19 and I’d been Christmas shopping with my mom and grandma. Late that night, we received a phone call that my dad had been involved in a car accident and did not survive.

A few years later, my mom passed away, leaving my younger sister and me as orphans. A few years after that my paternal grandfather and great-grandfather died and then a woman who’d become like a second mother, was diagnosed with cancer and fought for a year or so before succumbing to it.

Growing up, my life felt chaotic and unstable and I was just scared that everyone around me would die. I worried about it regularly. I begged in the prayers that God would watch over my loved ones and keep them alive. I was terrified of being left alone.

Through the years, I’ve tried to lean into this scripture and trust that God is there and is watching over me. I’ve read that faith and fear cannot occupy your mind at the same time. That has been hard for me because I feel like I have faith, but I’ve also had fear. I’ve worked hard on my faith to let it dispel my fear. Sometimes, I’m successful, but other times my fear still gets the best of me.

I’ve also learned that the Lord won’t always remove trials, but, instead, He will be there with me through the trials. He will stand by me. As I’ve faced some truly difficult and heartbreaking trials in my life, I truly believe the only way I came through them (and am currently dealing with them), is because Heavenly Father and Jesus have been by my side. They have held me steady when I wasn’t strong enough on my own and when my fear was so big I couldn’t see past it.

When I’m feeling fearful, I try to do the following five things. First, I pour my heart out in prayer. I share what is in my mind and heart, even though I know Heavenly Father already knows that. I share what I’m scared about. I ask for strength to face whatever happens and I ask for faith to trust in Him and in His plan. I always try to list blessings for which I’m grateful and express my gratitude for all the Lord has given me. I’ve found that gratitude helps me in so many ways. Gratitude can help me shift my focus from what I’m afraid of to what I’m grateful for.

Second, I turn to the scriptures and general conference talks and read about faith. It helps to read accounts of those who’ve exhibited faith in difficult circumstances and I can feel the Spirit bear witness to me of the truth of these accounts. The more I can fill my mimd with the word of God, the harder it is for the fearful thoughts to come in. And when those scary thoughts do come, if I’ve been immersing myself in His teachings, I can better fight them off.

Third, I focus on my patriarchal blessing as well as other blessings I’ve received. I reread, ponder, and consider how I’m living to see if I’m allowing those promised blessings in my life. Many of the blessings promised in my patriarchal blessing have come to pass, but there are still some I can focus on and determine to live my life so I can receive them. Remembering blessings of comfort, healing, and peace helps to calm my troubled heart.

Fourth, I write in my journal. I like to write “morning pages” each day to help me focus on my day. I write about my feelings, thoughts, dreams, prayers, hopes, frustrations, and fears. Consistently writing has helped me to organize and consider my thoughts. I’ve been able to root out some of my fears.

Fifth, I attend the temple regularly to help me feel peace, comfort, and joy. When I serve in the temple, I feel calmer as my mind turns to the Lord and to helping those beyond the veil. The temple allows me to sit with the Lord and to be still so I can hear His voice. Regular temple attendance has given me a better perspective and has allowed me to trust the Lord more. Service is always a good way to shift focus from myself to others.

Learning to trust Him and let go of my fears is a process. I have to remember to be gentle with myself and to give myself grace as I learn to turn away from the things that scare me and immerse myself in the things of God. Fear can be strong and worry can almost be addictive. As I am of good cheer and trust in the Lord, He will be by my side and help me to focus on faith instead of fear.