Article September 30, 1996 Issue

Living without fear, a sure possibility

Patricia Kadick

Our isolated campsite couldn't have been better: rivers, trees, mountains, the bluest sky, the brightest sunshine. We were in awe just being there. But the second night I became really frightened as heavy winds and rain whipped our small tent. Struggling to be calm, I thought of other times I'd been afraid: driving in blizzards, waiting out violent storms, seeing a child choke. I knew that God had brought us comfort, safety, and healing in those situations, yet here I was afraid again.

I reasoned that if God had protected me before, He would help me now. Next came this strengthening thought: "God does not make fear. Therefore, how could I, as His child, have it?" Still, I wondered if I would actually be able to understand that since God knew nothing of fear, I couldn't either. I prayed with conviction, and with a deepening joy, that only God, Love, could be present, and that His presence destroys fear and danger.

The words "'til the liability to fear be removed" came to me. Several weeks before our trip, this statement from Science and Health had caught my attention: "We think that we are healed when a disease disappears, though it is liable to reappear; but we are never thoroughly healed until the liability to be ill is removed" (p. 230).

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