Fear can be debilitating. It can cause you to stop in your tracks and experience physical reactions such as a rapid heartbeat, sweating, dizziness and panic that results in a fight or flight response. Fear can make you feel like the world is collapsing around you and that whatever you are facing will swallow you up and you will not survive.

If you don't struggle with anxiety, you may not have ever experienced these feelings. But if you have, you know the impact it can have on your happiness, peace and overall mental state. When I am faced with these times of fear, I must remind myself fear is not from the Lord.

He has promised us he will take care of us and walk us through whatever comes our way. We will face hard times. We will face loss. We will face uncertainty in our lives. But God will always be with us ready to hold our hand along the way.

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." – 2 Timothy 1:7

I remember as a little girl lying in bed at night and worrying if my parents ever died, I wouldn't be able to survive. It was a loss too big for a little girl to imagine. I couldn't fathom going on without them in my life.

When I was 30, my fear came to life when I lost my father. It was the biggest loss I had ever experienced in my life and I didn't know how I would go on without him. But I did. God held my hand and walked me through my grief. He didn't spare me from grieving, but he was there beside me the entire time.

I lost my mom about four months ago and again felt paralyzed, not knowing how I would be able to face life without her by my side. She was my comfort and the one I knew would always love me and take care of me. The loss I felt was just as debilitating as the anxiety I experienced those nights of worry as a child.

These past four months have been some of the hardest in my life. One of my biggest fears had come true. But I will be OK, just as I was after the loss of my dad. I will be able to experience joy again and I am sure God will continue to hold my hand along the way. I have felt God’s presence and once again I know he is grieving alongside me. My parents are together again, with him in Heaven, and that brings me peace. 

Written by Holly Yates, director of lifestyle services for Ventana by Buckner in Dallas, Texas.