Don't let fear rob you of opportunity

Sandy Portincaso

I had prayed over a year for a more spiritual understanding of companionship. Then, quite unexpectedly, I met a fine man with three wonderful kids. Later, we decided to be married.

At first I felt very peaceful about this decision and quite excited about moving to a new city, becoming a wife, a first-time parent, gaining in-laws, and making new friends. But one day I awoke to a smothering sense of fear. Fears about the marriage ending in divorce, the challenges of stepparenting, and dealing with change filled my every thought.

I prayed to let go of anxiety about moving from the familiar to the unknown, worry about losing existing good things in my life and perhaps not having as much good to fill its place, and doubt as to whether I had the skills required to succeed in these new roles. I longed to forget "those things which are behind, and [to reach] forth unto those things which are before," as the Apostle Paul puts it (Phil. 3:13). But the dread remained.

One night I came across this Bible verse, which helped me glimpse God's precious love for all of us: "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" (Deut. 31:6). I began to see that I could fearlessly submit to God's will because He is our ever-present companion and because His love for us includes no failure, abandonment, or lack. But the fears did not cease entirely until I also destroyed the mistaken belief that I was not worthy of all this goodness.

This imprisoning belief vanished when I realized it's God's will to give us His kingdom—full of good and wonderful gifts and new opportunities that bless us and those around us. Fear could not steal one moment of the good that was being poured out to me, and when I realized this, I was able to go forward with confidence and joy.

Sandy Portincaso Crystal Lake, Illinois

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