Faith Over Fear

"In the premortal existence we chose God’s plan . . . signifying that our love for Heavenly Father and Jesus and our faith in a plan that preserved our agency to choose was stronger than our apprehension about mortality."

Chieko Okazaki, former First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency

Before we lived on this earth, our spirits existed and we lived with our Heavenly family (read about that here). Our Heavenly Father presented a plan by which we would leave His presence, get a body, and learn many things. In Heavenly Father's plan, we would all have agency to choose right from wrong. We all knew that we would choose wrong sometimes, so Heavenly Father provided for a redemption. Jesus Christ volunteered to be this Redeemer, who would save us from our wrongs, if we would repent. We knew some would be lost. Lucifer volunteered a plan that went against Heavenly Father's plan: he proposed to be the savior, offering to take the agency of man away that not one soul would be lost.

We knew that we would choose wrong sometimes. We knew that there would be trials and challenges, sickness and loss, in mortality. But we had such love for and faith in our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ, that we "shouted for joy" as the earth was created (Job 38:7). We were excited to come here. We chose faith over fear. 

"If ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" (Alma 5:26)

We have "felt to sing the song of redeeming love." I know that we all sang in the heavens because of our Savior who would clean us and bring us back to Him after this world tore us up. But now we're torn up. So I ask, "can ye feel so now?" Do you still "sing the song of redeeming love?" Are you remembering to have faith in the redeeming power of your Savior? 

We were not without fear before we came to this earth. We likely had fears and apprehensions. But we did not let those conquer us. Our faith was stronger than our fears. 

We chose faith over fear then, and we can choose it again.