Fear is a real emotion. Last week I watched my youngest daughter enter her first year of high school, my oldest daughter enter her first year of university and my 15-year-old son enter his first job interview. As a parent I stood in the background; watching, praying and fearing just a little.

Fear of change is normal. My husband, Jamie, and I are entering our 10th year as corps officers of Cariboo Hill Temple. This reality produces fear when I see what is happening in many of the large corps across the territory. Many are asking, “Who will lead us?” In this unsettled time, it is my prayer that we learn from the past.

The Israelites feared leadership transition. Samuel was getting old and his sons were not fit candidates. Many Israelites no doubt posed the question: “Who will lead Israel?” Their reaction to fear led to a rejection of God, and so they turned to the patterns of the world. They wanted a human king so that they would be like the other nations around them. God counseled Samuel: “…it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their King” (1 Samuel 8:7).

I believe fear can move us to deeper trust. This unsettled time could be a gift, an opportunity to relinquish self-sufficiency and to seek a fuller dependence on God. I believe God is able to watch over my family and work all things according to his purposes. I believe God is guiding his Church and will fulfill his global purposes.

Last Sunday my husband challenged our congregation to memorize Romans 8. In this chapter we are challenged to trust the leading of the Spirit. “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15). I am so glad we have a Father who watches over us and works for our good. As light displaces darkness so this truth displaces fear. As adopted children let us trust our Father, he will lead us.

Who will lead us? God will lead us! 

Major Ann Braund and her husband, Jamie, are the corps officers of Cariboo Hill Temple in Burnaby, B.C. Ann and Jamie have three teenage children: Joanna, Jared and Jessica. She enjoys her family, her dog Charlie and her church family. She also enjoys being a foster mom when the opportunity arises. She has loved four foster daughters.