మీరు నమ్ముతున్నప్పటికీ భయంగా అనిపించినప్పుడు!

3 min read

Fear can be strange.

Sometimes we know what we believe, yet our feelings do not seem to agree. We may know we have faith, but inside, there is still uncertainty, worry, or even panic.

Does feeling afraid mean our faith is failing?

The scriptures give us a different picture.

One of the clearest examples comes from an unexpected moment in the life of a man named Jairus. His daughter was seriously ill, and he came to Jesus Christ for help. But while they were on their way to his home, Jairus received news that seemed to leave no hope:

"Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?" — Mark 5:35

Then Jesus said something simple:

"Be not afraid, only believe." — Mark 5:36

Jairus was afraid.

He was also being asked to believe.

Both were happening at the same time.

And perhaps that is one of the most important things this story teaches us about faith: you can believe and still feel afraid.

Jairus Had to Keep Going

The news about his daughter could have stopped Jairus in his tracks.

He had come to Jesus believing that his daughter could be healed. Now people were telling him that she was already dead and that there was no reason to continue troubling the Savior.

But Jesus was asking Jairus to keep moving.

We are not told that Jairus suddenly stopped feeling afraid. Instead, he continued with Christ toward his home.

Sometimes faith looks like that.

The circumstances may still frighten us, but we continue. We may not know what will happen next, but we do not allow fear to make the decision for us.

“Be Not Afraid, Only Believe”

Jesus' words to Jairus were brief:

"Be not afraid, only believe." — Mark 5:36

The Savior did not give Jairus a long explanation.

He simply asked him to believe.

That can be difficult for us too.

We often want certainty before we move forward. We want to know that a decision will work out, that a problem will end well, or that the future will look the way we hope.

But faith does not always come with that kind of certainty.

Sometimes faith is choosing to trust God with the part of the story we cannot yet see.

Fear Can Become Part of the Battle

A 2023 Liahona article described the struggle between faith and fear as an internal battle. The writer came to recognize that fear, doubt, and other difficult feelings could compete with faith.

That experience is familiar to many people.

Fear can become louder when we repeatedly focus on everything that could go wrong. It can make us forget what we already know and persuade us that our circumstances are bigger than our ability to face them.

Faith gives us another choice.

Instead of allowing fear to control our thoughts, we can turn our attention back to God.

We can pray. We can seek His guidance. We can remember His promises. And we can take the next step.

Faith Does Not Mean Pretending Everything Is Fine

Sometimes people think having faith means always being positive or never admitting that something is frightening.

But Jairus' story suggests otherwise.

He had just heard devastating news.

Faith did not require him to pretend that he was not hurting.

He could feel the fear and still follow Jesus.

That matters because difficult emotions are part of mortal life. Feeling afraid does not make a person faithless. What matters is what we choose to do while we are afraid.

The Story Was Not Over Yet

When Jesus reached Jairus' house, He went to the room where the girl was.

He took her by the hand and said:

"Damsel, I say unto thee, arise." — Mark 5:41

ఆమె లేAnd she arose..

For Jairus, the situation that had appeared to be final was not the end.

We may not always receive the same kind of outcome Jairus received. Some prayers are answered differently than we expect, and some situations remain painful for a long time.

But his story reminds us that we do not always know how the story will end from where we are standing.

What Can We Do When We Are Afraid?

When fear comes, we do not have to wait until we feel completely confident before turning to God.

We can begin where we are.

A simple prayer can be a beginning.

A scripture can remind us of something we had forgotten.

A conversation with someone we trust can help us see a situation more clearly.

A small act of faith can lead to another.

President David A. Bednar has taught about "hushing" our fears by turning toward the Savior and strengthening our faith rather than allowing fear to control us.

Faith grows through those choices.

Not all at once.

But gradually, as we continue to turn toward God.

You Can Believe and Still Be Afraid

Maybe there is something frightening in your life right now.

You may not know what will happen next. You may still have questions. You may still feel uncertain.

That does not mean you have lost your faith.

Jairus teaches us that fear and faith can exist in the same moment.

The important thing is which one we choose to follow.

Jesus Christ's words to Jairus can become our words to remember when fear grows:

"Be not afraid, only believe."

Sometimes belief does not feel powerful.

Sometimes it is simply enough to keep walking.

morefaith.in

“Divorce,” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks