I “faced my fear” about a few months ago. This is what I wrote about it:
My husband has been exploring a few new business-startup ideas. I’ve been pretty nervous about the focus of his main product—for weeks now. I keep wondering: is it a good idea? Is he doing all his research? Is he going blindly into it? Etc. I have not received a witness or confirmation from the Holy Ghost whether he should do it or not, so I’ve been uncertain if it’s a good choice.
PROBLEM: I was feeling fear about his plans and decisions.
Well, yesterday, as I was driving my preschooler to school, I realized that I wouldn’t be the one receiving the inspiration—that would be him. It is his thing! Not mine. Haha. In this moment, I was realizing I had doubt and fear. According to Karla McLaren, fear is giving a message that a choice needs to be made. Well, I was waiting for a confirmation from the Holy Ghost before I made my choice. But Heavenly Father was now telling me that I would not receive that confirmation (I hadn’t actually prayed for a confirmation. I just expected it. Maybe I should have been praying and I would have gotten one . . . ??) Anyway, I had to make my choice without the confirmation.
McLaren says, “Fear stops you, not to immobilize you, but to give you the time you need to gather yourself and your resources” (The Language of Emotions, 241). So in that moment, I gathered myself and my resources in order to see clearly what my options were, and which decision I wanted to make. I did an inventory: my husband is smart, he is working on his MBA and taking classes right now that are perfectly applicable to what he is doing, we have enough money for him to do this even if he doesn’t make millions from it, and ultimately, I trust that he would follow the Spirit if it prompted him to not do it. So, my choices were to (1) continue doubting his efforts and semi-supporting him, or (2) trust in him that he will be sensitive and responsive to the Spirit. My choice was easy to make! And I felt much better about the whole situation.
SOLUTION: My fear was telling me I needed to make a choice, so I looked at my options and chose the one that seemed best!
I love that we can receive personal revelation and guidance through the Holy Ghost when we need it in our lives. And I love that our emotions give us messages to help us see ourselves more clearly.
Want to learn more about the Holy Ghost and how you can have it in your life? Click here.