Digital Only: Come, Follow Me
Fear Not to Do Good
The voices of the world may twist the truth, but we can rely on the Lord for the confidence we need to share His goodness.
Imagine you are holding a photo of a lovely and colorful flower. You show it to your friend because you think they’d appreciate how beautiful it is.
Surprisingly, however, your friend frowns and says, “That’s not a picture of a real flower! You’re imagining things.” They tear it up and throw the pieces in the air as they storm out.
Understandably, you’re hurt. You decide to never show your favorite pictures to anyone again. You don’t want another reaction like that.
This sounds a little ridiculous, right? Why should one bad experience prevent you from trying again?
There are many voices in the world that will tell you that something good and true is wrong or bad. Because of that, sometimes we feel hesitant, nervous, or even anxious to do good by sharing gospel truths, even if we have the desire. We think, “What if they reject me?” or “I don’t want to intrude.” We convince ourselves that we are helping someone more by not sharing goodness.
But the reality is that goodness will always be good. Even if your friend did tear up your photo and say the flower isn’t real, that doesn’t change the fact that it was a picture of a beautiful flower. You can still remind yourself that you know the truth.
The Lord Knows Our Fears
Even if someone may react in anger or offense when you share gospel truths, that does not change the fact that what you shared was true or good. Despite that, social anxiety, general anxiety, or other mental health challenges can make it hard to feel confident in speaking up and doing good. And even if you don’t have those struggles, it can be difficult to overcome fears of judgement or embarrassment.
When the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored, one of the first things the Lord commanded the Prophet Joseph Smith to do was to spread the word—to send out missionaries. Since there were a lot of churches claiming to have the truth, members of the newly restored Church received a lot of unfair, hateful judgement for believing differently.
The Lord knew what kinds of fears His newly called missionaries felt (especially since they were new converts themselves!). He comforted them, saying, “If they reject my words, and this part of my gospel and ministry, blessed are ye, for they can do no more unto you than unto me” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:29).
So, what does that mean?
What He Promises Us
“They can do no more unto you than unto me.” Jesus Christ is strong. He is more powerful than Satan, the adversary. Although suffering all the pains of the world was necessary to fulfill the Atonement, He still conquered it all. Despite the pain that the opinions, words, and actions of others can cause us, He can help us to overcome that too.
“Blessed are ye.” Regardless of what others may say when we share the gospel or “do good,” the Lord has promised to bless us. And the blessings He offers are worth far more than the opinions of others.
So, essentially, the Lord has promised that when we share goodness, we will be blessed, and we don’t have to worry about what others might do or say, because we have God on our side!
The Lord said to Joseph Smith (and to us), “Fear not to do good … ; … if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:33). In other words, if we put goodness out into the world—whether by sharing the gospel, giving service, or simply trying to be more Christlike—we will feel and receive more goodness in our lives. All we have to do is focus on Jesus Christ and rely on Him for strength. “If ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:34).