"...God hath not given us the spirit of fear..." 2 Tim. 1:7

Have you ever made a commitment and felt, yeah, I am going to totally do that…and then later think: "Can I really do that?!" Well, I did this recently. But I have decided that I am going to stick with it, no matter what. I have a feeling it isn't going to be easy, but I also have a feeling that it is going to totally be worth it. Here is the commitment: "To live my life completely without fear" or better said, "To live my life completely in faith". Whoa, that last part is what really hit me.

What this means to me is that I will not be afraid to stand up for what is right (see Matt 6:33), no matter how hard it gets. It means I will serve where I am asked to serve (see Joshua 24:15), even when I don’t think I am capable, or perhaps I feel it is beneath me. Living a life of faith means I will practice listening to the Spirit and following the promptings, even when I think it is “just me”, or I may think “I don’t have time for this”, because everything always works out-always (2 Nephi 32:3,5). I will trust that health issues of a loved one or myself will be okay (see D&C 89:18-31). I won’t allow life’s unexpected emergencies or life’s challenges to overwhelm me, but will allow them to be a building block for me to draw closer to my Savior, my family and my loved ones (see Alma 36:3, D&C 90:24, D&C 100:15, Romans 8:28). There are many things that I will have to exercise faith. What a blessing I will be able to practice this in my life. (Note I get to practice this, I am not perfect in it:)

For some reason I have made sharing the gospel with a friend to be a frightening thing only because I love them both… and I don’t want to offend my friends. But why would my friends be offended if I shared something I loved with them? It would kind of be like sharing my favorite cookie recipe with them. They may like it and they may not. But why would I be upset if they chose not to follow or accept the recipe I shared with them? I would still love them and they would still love me. I have decided I will share this “recipe” with all my friends. It is my most beloved “recipe.” It is okay with me if they don’t find that it works for them. I would never force feed them. That would be gross. But I would want to share with them this part of me that is very important and sacred to me. It is like inviting them a very special dinner as I share this part of my life with them. I am so grateful for the friends I have who share their “recipes” with me as well (see a great talk about the recipe of the Gospel here).

I love the scripture in 2 Tim. 1:7 which reads, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” God doesn't give us fear. No way. He fills us with “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, faith, meekness, and temperance” (Gal. 5:22-23). He fills us with power. This applies to every area of our lives. I have felt it, experienced it, seen it, and continue to have it. I truly have nothing to fear. I am so excited to go forward with my commitment and live my life in total faith. It is a good feeling to know I have nothing to fear. Everything always works out for our good, for “[I] know that all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28). This I testify.