D&C 101:36-38 -- On Fear and Patience

"Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full.
Therefore, care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and for the life of the soul.
And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life."
Doctrine and Covenants 101:36-38


I like the idea of trusting in God so much that we don't fear even death. In actual practice, it is harder, but it is a good ideal to strive for. Not because we want to be foolhardy and face bullets without flinching like in an action movie, but because if we remove fear from the equation, we will be so much more free to act bravely and confidently according to the gospel and our consciences, doing and seeking good instead of wasting time worrying about death. If we're on the Lord's side, that is enough, and we can leave the timing to him.

Now, this definitely doesn't mean that we should go out and intentionally endanger ourselves or offend people either... that has never been the Lord's plan. He commands us to love, not to hate, not to persecute, not to contend. That's one of the reasons that "in patience possess ye your souls" is added in here (still not like an action movie). The idea is to care for our souls and the souls of the people around us in a loving way... placing concern for our souls well ahead of concern for our bodies in our priority list. If we aren't in fear of our lives like they sometimes were when this was revealed, we still have fears about our health and about embarrassment, etc, that we shouldn't let stand in our way.

Today, let's try to be less fearful and more free, less preemptive and more patient. :) Let's trust in the Lord and his timing.