Stuck between fear and joy

[Rob Osborn]

After hearing Elder Uchtdorfs remarks regarding those living in great anxiety and fear and to fear not I cant help but struggle to come to terms with his intent. Its something I have pondered a lot lately. You see, at times I struggle greatly with anxiety and fear. I live in a ward that have a lot of old and lonely widows who also live, at times, in great anxiety and fear. I have come to know some of them and fully understand their dillema and can empathise with them.

Years ago I had a bad reaction to a pain prescription drug that triggered a very long decades bout with anxiety and depression. It caused great fear to come upon me. Then as I was getting over this great problem, a new and worse condition came along- night terror. The first few times it happened I literally thought I was going to be condemned to outer darkness, that the Lord would not hear me, that it was too late- a hopeless cause. So strong was this influence that it took all the energy of my soul in ferverent prayer to dispel this great distress and fear. Since then, I have learned to desl with it and my anxiety, depression and night terror isnt as bad nor as frequent. But, its not something I can control as to when it comes or to what extent of spiritual distress it brings. I have learned that I need Christ to combat this fear and anxiety.

But I am still torn as to the intent of Uchtdorfs message because trust me, I want to be rid of that fear, but its as if I cannot control it but only combat it with a balance of faith and love. Right now, somewhere in the world, somebody is completely overcome with anxiety and fear in some circumstance of which is seemingly and wholly out of their control.  Can we live in peace, having great faith in Jesus Christ and yet still struggle with great bouts of fear and anxiety? If so, where is that balance?

[CV75]

7 hours ago, Rob Osborn said:

After hearing Elder Uchtdorfs remarks regarding those living in great anxiety and fear and to fear not I cant help but struggle to come to terms with his intent. Its something I have pondered a lot lately. You see, at times I struggle greatly with anxiety and fear. I live in a ward that have a lot of old and lonely widows who also live, at times, in great anxiety and fear. I have come to know some of them and fully understand their dillema and can empathise with them.

Years ago I had a bad reaction to a pain prescription drug that triggered a very long decades bout with anxiety and depression. It caused great fear to come upon me. Then as I was getting over this great problem, a new and worse condition came along- night terror. The first few times it happened I literally thought I was going to be condemned to outer darkness, that the Lord would not hear me, that it was too late- a hopeless cause. So strong was this influence that it took all the energy of my soul in ferverent prayer to dispel this great distress and fear. Since then, I have learned to desl with it and my anxiety, depression and night terror isnt as bad nor as frequent. But, its not something I can control as to when it comes or to what extent of spiritual distress it brings. I have learned that I need Christ to combat this fear and anxiety.

But I am still torn as to the intent of Uchtdorfs message because trust me, I want to be rid of that fear, but its as if I cannot control it but only combat it with a balance of faith and love. Right now, somewhere in the world, somebody is completely overcome with anxiety and fear in some circumstance of which is seemingly and wholly out of their control.  Can we live in peace, having great faith in Jesus Christ and yet still struggle with great bouts of fear and anxiety? If so, where is that balance?

I think if you recognize it for what it is and combat it as you described, with love and faith, you are ahead in the battle, especially when you have moments of freedom and clarity, which you must have. It may take a long time to become completely free, and maybe not until after this life due to the constraints of the flesh, but keeping your covenants at all costs is worth it. That is the deeper spirituality that drives your choices, come what may, and every blessing the Lord has promised will be yours.

The Lord is still with those who are "completely overcome with anxiety and fear in some circumstance of which is seemingly and wholly out of their control," and will in the long run bless them also.

P.S. I would say even if the brief time spent partaking of the sacrament brings a moment of spiritual relief, it is worth it and a sign to you and to God that you are on the right track.

Edited April 4, 2017 by CV75

[zil]

I think one take-away from President Uchtdorf's message is to not spend lots of time focused on the negative (don't go wallowing in all the bad stuff, catastrophizing and awfulizing).  It's enough to know that it's there.  Instead, focus your thoughts, seeking, and efforts on the good stuff.  The evening news is a good example of the wrong proportions - 99% of it is about the bad stuff, with 1% about some soul who did good.  Invert that and you'll have a better, more productive existence, be more motivated to help, see others as good rather than evil, hope rather than despair, etc.

Excuse me now, that reminds me I haven't visited despair.com in eons, so I think I need to go see what's new...

[Guest]

I thought he was talking more about fear as a motivator. Are we following counsel because we are afraid of what might happen if we don't (I won't get blessings, I won't go to Heaven), or are we joyfully following Christ because we love and trust Him? Do we fear man, or have faith that Heavenly Father has our backs?

[The Folk Prophet]

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”

― Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

Bah...did I just quote a liberal?!

[Rob Osborn]

1 hour ago, Eowyn said:

I thought he was talking more about fear as a motivator. Are we following counsel because we are afraid of what might happen if we don't (I won't get blessings, I won't go to Heaven), or are we joyfully following Christ because we love and trust Him? Do we fear man, or have faith that Heavenly Father has our backs?

I do think there is a balance of fear being a motivator as a good thing. Why do I not walk along the edge of a cliff? Because of the fear of falling off. This is where its interesting because fear does exist in us, its a natural mechanism. I think we are kidding ourselves if we think we can escape fear on faith alone.

[Rob Osborn]

35 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”

― Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

Bah...did I just quote a liberal?!

This is where I see fear as a balance- that its natural to have fear, its in how we react to it that matters.

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

I need to listen to his talk again, but my gut instinct is that he was talking about something different as Eowyn said. 

English  (maybe all languages) can be difficult that way. Anxiety could mean different thinga to different people. Repentance and feminism have very different definitions depending on who you talk to. Depression is the same. When I was in the midst of a dark time, I used to get so annoyed when people would suggest that I was depressd. I told them, "No, I have emotional pain, there is a difference." If you have physical pain a doctor will ask all kinds of questions: dull, throbbing, radiating? Sudden onset? Etc. People think if you are unhappy you are depressed, but it's much more complicated than that. Not all unhappiness is the same. 

So if Pres. Uctdorf's message didn't resonate with you then his message was not for you.

Edited April 4, 2017 by LiterateParakeet

[The Folk Prophet]

6 minutes ago, Rob Osborn said:

I think we are kidding ourselves if we think we can escape fear on faith alone.

Depends on what you mean by "escape".

[CV75]

1 hour ago, Rob Osborn said:

I do think there is a balance of fear being a motivator as a good thing. Why do I not walk along the edge of a cliff? Because of the fear of falling off. This is where its interesting because fear does exist in us, its a natural mechanism. I think we are kidding ourselves if we think we can escape fear on faith alone.

I'm pretty sure he said that fear does play a constructive role in our lives, and that it may rightly be a valid part of the "sharpness" inspired by the Holy Ghost, but I'll have top wait for the transcript.

[JohnsonJones]

6 hours ago, The Folk Prophet said:

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”

― Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

Bah...did I just quote a liberal?!

If it's any consolation, he may actually have been considered a conservative today if he had the same views he had back then, but were a politician today.

Yesterday's liberal is today's average Republican.

Yesterday's Republican is more like the Libertarians of today, but even the Libertarians may be a little too liberal to for those Republicans of old.

[Rob Osborn]

5 hours ago, The Folk Prophet said:

Depends on what you mean by "escape".

By not having any fear at all.

[Guest]

I think the only time we will be free of fear, grief, etc. is in the next life. But we don't need to be ruled by those things. We are meant to learn to hand those burdens to the Savior. We may feel fear, but the One who has overcome the world is in your corner, so with His comfort you won't be consumed by it.

Edited April 4, 2017 by Eowyn