Fear or Faith, Who's at the Control Center of Your Brain???

Come with me, on a journey inside your brain. :) 

Perhaps you feel like Joy....as you look to your future. She's bright, optimistic, and full of hope. She's excited for the possibilities ahead, and anxious to make the decisions which will lead her to partake of these experiences! :)  

Or perhaps if these feelings don't resonate with you, and you feel a bit more like Fear. He's doubtful, slightly terrified, and if I'm right, he's paralyzed by the decision making process. He doesn't know which road to take, because he knows that any road could lead to tragedy.

I, like many of you, often feel like Fear is in control. 

Fear can be good, because he protects you from possible harm. He can also be bad, because he may keep you from doing things which bring you joy! 

So how can we know when to listen to Fear, and protect ourselves, and when to listen to Joy, and take risks? 

This IS a tricky question. One I have been battling with for awhile now. 

If you are like me, you have made decisions in the past, based off of joy, which have brought you pain. And now, perhaps you are afraid to make certain decisions, because you remember the unpleasant experiences you've had previously.

This fear is valid, and you are not bad for having it. Of course, you would want to protect yourself from unnecessary heart ache. I mean, who wouldn't??? 

Now here's the trick...Heavenly Father, like any good parent, allows us to go through painful experiences. He wont always warn us or stop us when we're trying to make a decision that will bring us pain, because he wants us also to be acquainted with difficulty. 

So, if you are worried that God may give you a "yes" on a decision you want to make, but then that decision brings you pain, your concern is valid. 

I think that sometimes, the decisions we make may not bring us immediate joy, but the growth and development we gain from those experiences, will bring us joy in the long run. 

How many of you have had a challenging experience which you were GLAD FOR later, because you were able to use it to help someone else??? 

I know that I personally have had this experience many times, and I always feel grateful for being able to empathize with my friends. I have also been benefited by the challenges others have gone through, which have enabled them to better understand me. :) 

I know that some choices we make can bring us pain and sorrow, but then this pain and sorrow brings us to the Savior, so I suppose that if you feel good about a decision, the decision should be made. And you should know that feeling good about the decision does not guarantee immediate joy, in fact it most likely will guarantee difficulty, but with that difficulty will come growth which you need, which will later bring you joy. So step forward, mobilize yourself, make the decisions you have felt good about making, and then trust in God. Trust that the choice he has guided you to make will lead to your optimal growth and development, and your eternal joy.

Thank you for reading, and I hope this helps you in your future decision making process. <3