Published by When I was in high school, I was repeatedly raped by someone I was dating. I felt victimized, alone, and forsaken by God. I was very afraid in my day to day life. Somewhere along the line, I just snapped and lost all of my faith in God. I began to go down a very dark path towards destruction and heartache. I was fearing man, and doing what my peers wanted me to do. Instead of putting my trust in God and knowing that He would always lead me in the right direction, I was trying to find my direction through my friends, friends who turned out to be just as lost as I was, but friends that I was afraid I would lose if I tried to go on another path. One day while trying to put my life back together, I stumbled across Moroni 8:16.
I was particularly struck by the last part of the verse, which reads, “I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear.” I realized that to truly be happy, I had to love God, and to love God I had to follow the commandments, such as the word of wisdom and the law of chastity. As I applied these principles to my life, I began to gain a testimony of them, and I no longer really cared what my former friends thought because I knew that the way I was living my life in a way that would lead to true happiness, not just instant gratification and hollow pleasure. I wasn’t afraid of what they thought, because my pure love of God and the gospel cast out such fear. From that day on, I tried my best to apply those principles to my life, and as a result, I have had a much happier, and less fearful life. I came to see that this verse held a true promise. Through loving God and devoting my life to Him, I no longer have need to fear what man will think. In the eternal perspective, it is only the judgments of God that will matter.
