Fear May Remain, but It Need Not Lead

Dear Reader,

In 2014, I wrote a message based on the word “fear.” The message centered on concerns over money, health, family, loneliness, change, and uncertainty. The lack of control surrounding each of these concerns can create a state of fear.

For purposes of looking back, I chose to explore where the word fear comes from, how its meaning developed over time, and, more specifically, how fear is understood in recovery and faith.

In Old English, the word appears as fær, carrying meanings such as sudden danger, peril, or calamity. Its earlier Germanic roots also point toward danger and distress.

In the Bible, the English word fear represents several Hebrew words. One is pachad, often associated with dread or trembling. Another is yare’, which can mean to fear, to stand in awe, or to revere. The biblical idea of fear, then, is broader than simple anxiety; depending on context, it can describe terror, caution, reverence, or awe.

One might comment that all this is interesting, but what do these definitions have to do with understanding my fear of losing control over money, health, family, or the other concerns listed above?

My response is this: when I say I am fearful of not having enough money, of poor health, of losing family, or of being alone, I am describing a very real experience of distress within me. More importantly, even if all those concerns were magically removed, I would still have little defense against life’s next challenge if nothing within me had changed.

In all honesty, fear has many faces, and not all of them can simply be made to vanish.

In my experience, having a greater income did not remove the fear caused by poor budgeting. A person may have great wealth and still be afraid of losing it. And does it not seem remarkable that another person may have very little and yet maintain a deep sense of peace?

So what is the missing factor in finding peace when those around us appear to be living in fear?

Perhaps the greater question is this: What allows some people to trust and find peace even when they do not know what the outcome will be?

Over my years in recovery, and through a growing belief in a Higher Power—my Heavenly Father—I have found strength and developed a testimony of faith that God and His Son are near. Their presence brings peace to that place within me where fear once settled.

This allows me to acknowledge fear and still move forward. I can face something I do not understand and still believe that I will be given enough strength or wisdom to take the next step.

Today, I choose to stand in faith rather than remain trapped in fear.

That does not mean I will never be afraid. Faith does not require me to pretend that fear is absent. It asks me not to surrender my life to it.

Spiritually, I accept what was written centuries ago:

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.”
(2 Nephi 22:2 / Isaiah 12:2)

There is freedom in that.

I do not need enough strength for the rest of my life today. I do not need a guarantee that nothing difficult will happen. I have the assurance that whatever comes, I will not have to face it alone.

Fear may remain, but it need not lead.

🙏🧘‍♂️💕🤗☮️