courage or fear.

The last few days have been wonderful eye opening experiences for me. I was able to have some uplifting conversations with some people in my life that I don’t get the opportunity to talk to very often. I got a few worries off my chest on Christmas day talking to my best friend about the near future and it opened the door to some thinking and reflection on my part. Also, today I was able to speak with a friend that I haven’t talked to in a long time. Our relationship has struggled in the past because of things that have happened on my part, but I am thankful we were able to get past that and move on. She really opened up and told me about her life and some of the fears she had and I told her about some of mine. These fears got me thinking though…why are we scared? President Monson has said “faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other”. If I am fearing things or events that are coming up in my life why is that, is it something that I’m doing wrong or am I not putting enough faith in the Savior?
Well….as she talked she shared some neat experiences she had recently and some scriptures that have helped her. It was nice being able to listen and as I gave her advice I was reminded of the things that I need to be doing as well. I also became so thankful for my testimony that we were able to share these feelings with each other, thankful that we were able to understand, thankful that this understanding was made possible through the Lord. As I am coming up with some big decisions in the near future about schooling, living circumstances, boys and life in general I just realized I can’t be scared. I found this quote from Alan Cohen:

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.

I just wonder…what am I holding on to? I have had some great experiences the last few months, semesters and years, but life goes on. It is hard to move on…move on from school, move on from home, move on from the financial security of my parents, but because of all the moving on I’ve been able to do so far I’ve been able to grow like never before. If I never would have put the faith in all of my decisions up to now and moved forward, I wouldn’t be where I am today. So I think I’ve concluded… yeah, I’m a little anxious about the unknown, but I know the truth and because of that I’m not scared. I’m thankful for the friends that I’ve been able to make that have helped me become the person I am and I know that I’ll continue to make more. I have faith that I will continue on making the right decisions and be able to see the good that comes from them. Following President Monson’s counsel, I will do my best to step forward in faith, because I can’t afford to have my faith take the back burner.