When Fear Pulls Us Down

Dear Reader,

Tonight I had a conversation with a close friend about fear.

Not the ordinary worries that come and go, but the kind of fear that can reach deeply into our lives—the fear that comes when something feels dangerous, uncertain, or beyond our control.

As we talked, the conversation gradually moved from fear itself toward faith.

We spoke about how Christ can help us face difficult and even frightening circumstances, and how recovery often comes the same way many of us learn to live life: with faith, and one day at a time.

Earlier today, I listened to Elder Patrick Kearon speak in General Conference. Later, during my evening conversation, I realized how useful his words were to what my friend and I were discussing.. 

He said:

“We can learn to live in spiritual lift. And when we sink, our gentle Savior is there to lift us up as we turn to Him. Jesus Christ loves to lift.”

His words brought back two memories from my own life.

Years ago, while on vacation, I went parasailing. I remember being lifted above the water, carried upward by forces I could not see but could certainly feel.

On another occasion, one Sunday afternoon, I parachuted from an airplane.

That experience taught me something very different.

Once you step from an airplane, gravity becomes very real.

There is no pretending that you are not falling.

Yet there is also something above you capable of catching the air, slowing your descent, and carrying you safely toward the ground.

As I listened to Elder Kearon today, I began to see those experiences differently.

Life also has its gravity.

Fear can pull us downward.

So can grief, loneliness, disappointment, illness, uncertainty, regret, and circumstances we simply cannot control.

Faith does not mean pretending those forces are not real.

Faith reminds us that gravity is not the only force at work.

Elder Kearon taught:

“Your Savior is your lift. He is your ever-rising air. There is no limit to how high you can climb with Him. Jesus Christ lives to lift.”

I find great comfort in those words.

There have been times in my own life when encouragement alone was not enough. Telling myself to be stronger, think more positively, or simply “get over it” would not have changed the circumstances.

Sometimes we need something beyond our own strength.

Sometimes we need to be lifted.

The prophet Isaiah expressed a similar hope:

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles.”

—Isaiah 40:31

Christ does not promise us a life without fear.

He does not promise that we will never feel ourselves falling.

What He offers is His presence in the middle of those experiences.

Sometimes He changes the situation.

Sometimes He strengthens us enough to face it.

Sometimes He carries us through one day at a time.

And sometimes, when we cannot lift ourselves at all, He becomes the lift.

Today, my conversation with a friend and Elder Kearon’s message seemed to come together around one simple truth:

Fear may remind us that gravity is real. Faith reminds us that gravity is not the only force at work.

There is also love.

There is grace.

There is hope.

And there is a Savior who still lifts.

As Elder Kearon said:

“At the heart of our faith is the glorious truth that we have an adoring Father in Heaven, whose Son, our Savior, loves to lift.”

Perhaps that is what faith sometimes looks like.

Not the absence of fear.

Not the absence of falling.

But trusting that when fear pulls us downward, Jesus Christ is still there—lifting, carrying, strengthening, and helping us take the next step.

One day at a time.

🙏🧘‍♂️💕🤗☮️