Fear Thou Not!

As I was listening to the TV today I heard someone say "I have never seen so much fear in the faces of the people as I followed the campaign trail this year."  And then he listed all the reasons we have to fear and I understood well what he was saying.  And then I turned to the Church News and on the back was an editorial 'Fear Thou Not'.

I quote "In these times, many people are pessimistic toward the future...and then a list of all negative things going on and then "However, as valid as these issues may be, we do not need to lose hope. The adversary would seduce us into pessisism for, with that attitude, he has greater control." 

And then  a list of suggestions of how to avoid this fear and finally a quote from the best example of optimism President Thomas S. Monson.  This is what he said in October 2011.

"In this world where nearly everything seems to be changing, His constancy is something on which we can rely, an anchor to which we can hold fast and be safe, lest we be swept away into uncharted waters.

Some of you may feel restricted by the code of conduct to which we in the Church adhere. My brothers and sisters, I declare to you, however, that there is nothing which can bring more joy into our lives or more peace to our souls than the Spirit which can come to us as we follow the Savior and keep the commandments. That Spirit cannot be present at the kinds of activities in which so much of the world participates.

We must be vigilant in a world which has moved so far from that which is spiritual. It is essential that we reject anything that does not conform to our standards, refusing in the process to surrender that which we desire most: eternal life in the kingdom of God. The storms will still beat at our doors from time to time, for they are an inescapable part of our existence in mortality. We, however, will be far better equipped to deal with them, to learn from them, and to overcome them if we have the gospel at our core and the love of the Savior in our hearts.

As the winds of change swirl around us and the moral fiber of society continues to disintegrate before our very eyes, may we remember the Lord’s precious promise to those who trust in Him: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10."

What a Promise!  How great to have a consistent light of hope in this dark world.