I found out that if you download the lds ap on your phone you can listen to talks in the ensign, conference talks, scriptures. I have been struggling with my Testimony. I sometimes feel like I don't feel the truth of the Gospel and I have been trying to get that Faith back. I love that I can listen to the talks on my phone. I have started listening to talks whenever I'm bored or when I'm trying to get to sleep. I feel blessed having it always there. Recently I have found so many talks that relate to me. Here are a few that I have loved.
Mountains to Climb
If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing.
I heard
President Spencer W. Kimball, in a session of conference, ask that God
would give him mountains to climb. He said: “There are great challenges
ahead of us, giant opportunities to be met. I welcome that exciting
prospect and feel to say to the Lord, humbly, ‘Give me this mountain,’
give me these challenges.”1
My heart was
stirred, knowing, as I did, some of the challenges and adversity he had
already faced. I felt a desire to be more like him, a valiant servant
of God. So one night I prayed for a test to prove my courage. I can
remember it vividly. In the evening I knelt in my bedroom with a faith
that seemed almost to fill my heart to bursting.
Within a day
or two my prayer was answered. The hardest trial of my life surprised
and humbled me. It provided me a twofold lesson. First, I had clear
proof that God heard and answered my prayer of faith. But second, I
began a tutorial that still goes on to learn about why I felt with such
confidence that night that a great blessing could come from adversity to
more than compensate for any cost.
The
adversity that hit me in that faraway day now seems tiny compared to
what has come since—to me and to those I love. Many of you are now
passing through physical, mental, and emotional trials that could cause
you to cry out as did one great and faithful servant of God I knew well.
His nurse heard him exclaim from his bed of pain, “When I have tried
all my life to be good, why has this happened to me?”
You know how the Lord answered that question for the Prophet Joseph Smith in his prison cell:
“And if
thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and
the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep;
if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become
thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements
combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell
shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all
these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
“The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
“Therefore,
hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their
bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years
shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God
shall be with you forever and ever.”2
There seems
to me no better answer to the question of why trials come and what we
are to do than the words of the Lord Himself, who passed through trials
for us more terrible than we can imagine.
You remember His words when He counseled that we should, out of faith in Him, repent:
“Therefore I
command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth,
and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore
you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know
not.
“For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
“But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
“Which
suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble
because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and
spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
“Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.”3
You and I have faith that the way to rise through and above trials is to believe that there is a “balm in Gilead”4 and that the Lord has promised, “I will not … forsake thee.”5 That is what President Thomas S. Monson has taught us to help us and those we serve in what seem lonely and overwhelming trials.6
But
President Monson has also wisely taught that a foundation of faith in
the reality of those promises takes time to build. You may have seen the
need for that foundation, as I have, at the bedside of someone ready to
give up the fight to endure to the end. If the foundation of faith is
not embedded in our hearts, the power to endure will crumble.
My purpose
today is to describe what I know of how we can lay that unshakable
foundation. I do it with great humility for two reasons. First, what I
say could discourage some who are struggling in the midst of great
adversity and feel their foundation of faith is crumbling. And second, I
know that ever-greater tests lie before me before the end of life.
Therefore, the prescription I offer you has yet to be proven in my own
life through enduring to the end.
As a young
man I worked with a contractor building footings and foundations for new
houses. In the summer heat it was hard work to prepare the ground for
the form into which we poured the cement for the footing. There were no
machines. We used a pick and a shovel. Building lasting foundations for
buildings was hard work in those days.
It also
required patience. After we poured the footing, we waited for it to
cure. Much as we wanted to keep the jobs moving, we also waited after
the pour of the foundation before we took away the forms.
And even
more impressive to a novice builder was what seemed to be a tedious and
time-consuming process to put metal bars carefully inside the forms to
give the finished foundation strength.
In a
similar way, the ground must be carefully prepared for our foundation of
faith to withstand the storms that will come into every life. That
solid basis for a foundation of faith is personal integrity.
Our
choosing the right consistently whenever the choice is placed before us
creates the solid ground under our faith. It can begin in childhood
since every soul is born with the free gift of the Spirit of Christ. With that Spirit we can know when we have done what is right before God and when we have done wrong in His sight.
Those
choices, hundreds in most days, prepare the solid ground on which our
edifice of faith is built. The metal framework around which the
substance of our faith is poured is the gospel of Jesus Christ, with all its covenants, ordinances, and principles.
One of the
keys to an enduring faith is to judge correctly the curing time
required. That is why I was unwise to pray so soon in my life for higher
mountains to climb and greater tests.
That curing
does not come automatically through the passage of time, but it does
take time. Getting older does not do it alone. It is serving God and
others persistently with full heart and soul that turns testimony of
truth into unbreakable spiritual strength.
Now, I wish
to encourage those who are in the midst of hard trials, who feel their
faith may be fading under the onslaught of troubles. Trouble itself can
be your way to strengthen and finally gain unshakable faith. Moroni, the
son of Mormon in the Book of Mormon,
told us how that blessing could come to pass. He teaches the simple and
sweet truth that acting on even a twig of faith allows God to grow it:
“And now,
I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show
unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen;
wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness
until after the trial of your faith.
“For it was
by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had
risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after
they had faith in him; wherefore, it must needs be that some had faith
in him, for he showed himself not unto the world.
“But
because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and
glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others
might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those
things which they have not seen.
“Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith.”7
That
particle of faith most precious and which you should protect and use to
whatever extent you can is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Moroni taught
the power of that faith this way: “And neither at any time hath any
wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed
in the Son of God.”8
I have
visited with a woman who received the miracle of sufficient strength to
endure unimaginable losses with just the simple capacity to repeat
endlessly the words “I know that my Redeemer lives.”9 That faith and those words of testimony were still there in the mist that obscured but did not erase memories of her childhood.
I was
stunned to learn that another woman had forgiven a person who had
wronged her for years. I was surprised and asked her why she had chosen
to forgive and forget so many years of spiteful abuse.
She said
quietly, “It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I just knew I
had to do it. So I did.” Her faith that the Savior would forgive her if
she forgave others prepared her with a feeling of peace and hope as she
faced death just months after she had forgiven her unrepentant
adversary.
She asked me, “When I get there, how will it be in heaven?”
And I said,
“I know just from what I have seen of your capacity to exercise faith
and to forgive that it will be a wonderful homecoming for you.”
I have
another encouragement to those who now wonder if their faith in Jesus
Christ will be sufficient for them to endure well to the end. I was
blessed to have known others of you who are listening now when you were
younger, vibrant, gifted beyond most of those around you, yet you chose
to do what the Savior would have done. Out of your abundance you found
ways to help and care for those you might have ignored or looked down
upon from your place in life.
When hard
trials come, the faith to endure them well will be there, built as you
may now notice but may have not at the time that you acted on the pure
love of Christ, serving and forgiving others as the Savior would have
done. You built a foundation of faith from loving as the Savior loved
and serving for Him. Your faith in Him led to acts of charity that will
bring you hope.
It is never
too late to strengthen the foundation of faith. There is always time.
With faith in the Savior, you can repent and plead for forgiveness.
There is someone you can forgive. There is someone you can thank. There
is someone you can serve and lift. You can do it wherever you are and
however alone and deserted you may feel.
I cannot
promise an end to your adversity in this life. I cannot assure you that
your trials will seem to you to be only for a moment. One of the
characteristics of trials in life is that they seem to make clocks slow
down and then appear almost to stop.
There are
reasons for that. Knowing those reasons may not give much comfort, but
it can give you a feeling of patience. Those reasons come from this one
fact: in Their perfect love for you, Heavenly Father and the Savior want
you fitted to be with Them to live in families forever. Only those
washed perfectly clean through the Atonement of Jesus Christ can be
there.
My mother
fought cancer for nearly 10 years. Treatments and surgeries and finally
confinement to her bed were some of her trials.
I remember my father saying as he watched her take her last breath, “A little girl has gone home to rest.”
One of the
speakers at her funeral was President Spencer W. Kimball. Among the
tributes he paid, I remember one that went something like this: “Some of
you may have thought that Mildred suffered so long and so much because
of something she had done wrong that required the trials.” He then said,
“No, it was that God just wanted her to be polished a little more.” I
remember at the time thinking, “If a woman that good needed that much
polishing, what is ahead for me?”
If we have
faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life
can be a blessing. In all conditions, we can choose the right with the
guidance of the Spirit. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ
to shape and guide our lives if we choose it. And with prophets
revealing to us our place in the plan of salvation, we can live with
perfect hope and a feeling of peace. We never need to feel that we are
alone or unloved in the Lord’s service because we never are. We can feel
the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right to bear us up.10 And He always keeps His word.
I testify that God the Father lives and that His Beloved Son is our Redeemer. The Holy Ghost
has confirmed truth in this conference and will again as you seek it,
as you listen, and as you later study the messages of the Lord’s
authorized servants, who are here. President Thomas S. Monson
is the Lord’s prophet to the entire world. The Lord watches over you.
God the Father lives. His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, is our Redeemer.
His love is unfailing. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
He Truly Loves Us
Because of the heaven-designed pattern of the family, we more fully understand how our Heavenly Father truly loves each of us equally and fully.
I love being
with the full-time missionaries. They are full of faith, hope, and
genuine charity. Their missionary experience is like a minilife packaged
in 18 to 24 months. They arrive as spiritual infants with a serious
appetite to learn, and they leave as mature adults, seemingly ready to
conquer any and all challenges placed before them. I also love the
devoted senior missionaries, who are full of patience, wisdom, and calm
assurance. They bring a gift of stability and love to the youthful
energy that surrounds them. Together the young missionaries and the
senior couples are a powerful, persevering force for good, which is
having a profound effect on their lives and upon those who are touched
by their service.
Recently I
listened to two of these great young missionaries as they reviewed their
experiences and efforts. In that reflective moment they considered the
individuals they had contacted that day, some of whom were more
responsive than others. As they considered the circumstances, they
asked, “How can we help each individual develop a desire to know more
about Heavenly Father? How do we help them feel His Spirit? How can we
help them know that we love them?”
In my mind’s
eye I could see these two young men three or four years after completing
their missions. I visualized them as having found their eternal
companions and serving in an elders quorum or teaching a group of young
men. Now, instead of thinking about their investigators, they were
asking the same questions about their quorum members or the young men
they were commissioned to nurture. I saw how their missionary experience
could be applied as a template for nurturing others throughout the rest
of their lives. As this army of righteous disciples return from their
missions to the many countries across the earth, they are becoming key
contributors in the work of establishing the Church.
The Book of Mormon
prophet Lehi might have been pondering the same set of questions as
these missionaries when he listened to the response of his sons to the
direction and vision he had been given: “And thus Laman and Lemuel,
being the eldest, did murmur against their father. And they did murmur
because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them” (1 Nephi 2:12).
Perhaps we
have each felt the frustration Lehi experienced with his two eldest
sons. As we face a drifting child, an uncommitted investigator, or an
unresponsive prospective elder, our hearts swell as Lehi’s did and we
ask, how can I help them feel and listen to the Spirit so they are not
caught up in worldly distractions? Two scriptures stand out in my mind
that can help us find our way through these distractions and feel the
power of God’s love.
Nephi gives a
key to the door of learning through his own personal experience: “I,
Nephi, … having great desires to know of the mysteries of God,
wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did
soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken
by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my
brothers” (1 Nephi 2:16).
Awakening
the desire to know enables our spiritual capacities to hear the voice of
heaven. Finding a way to awaken and nurture that desire is the quest
and responsibility of each of us—missionaries, parents, teachers,
leaders, and members. As we feel that desire stirring in our hearts, we
are prepared to benefit from the learning of the second scripture that I
want to mention.
In June of 1831, as calls were being extended to early Church leaders, Joseph Smith
was told that “Satan is abroad in the land, and he goeth forth
deceiving the nations.” To combat this distracting influence, the Lord
said that He would give us “a pattern in all things, that [we] may not
be deceived” (D&C 52:14).
Patterns are
templates, guides, repeating steps, or paths one follows to stay
aligned with God’s purpose. If followed, they will keep us humble,
awake, and able to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit from those
voices that distract us and lead us away. The Lord then instructs us,
“He that trembleth under my power shall be made strong, and shall bring
forth fruits of praise and wisdom, according to the revelations and
truths which I have given you” (D&C 52:17).
The blessing
of humble prayer, offered with real intent, allows the Holy Spirit to
touch our hearts and helps us to remember what we knew before we were
born into this mortal experience. As we clearly understand our Heavenly
Father’s plan for us, we begin to acknowledge our responsibility to help
others learn and understand His plan. Closely tied to helping others
remember is the way we personally live the gospel and apply it in our
lives. When we actually live the gospel in the pattern taught by the
Lord Jesus Christ, our ability to help others increases. The following experience is an example of how this principle can work.
Two young
missionaries knocked on a door, hoping to find someone to receive their
message. The door opened, and a rather large man greeted them in a
less-than-friendly voice: “I thought I told you not to knock on my door
again. I warned you before that if you ever came back, it would not be a
pleasant experience. Now leave me alone.” He quickly closed the door.
As the
elders walked away, the older, more experienced missionary put his arm
on the younger missionary’s shoulder to comfort and encourage him.
Unknown to them, the man watched them through the window to be sure they
understood his message. He fully expected to see them laugh and make
light of his curt response to their attempted visit. However, as he
witnessed the expression of kindness between the two missionaries, his
heart was instantly softened. He reopened the door and asked the
missionaries to come back and share their message with him.
It is when
we yield to God’s will and live His pattern that His Spirit is felt. The
Savior taught, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if
ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). This principle of having love one to another and developing our ability to be Christ-centered in how we think, speak, and act is fundamental in becoming disciples of Christ and teachers of His gospel.
Awakening
this desire prepares us to look for the promised patterns. Seeking for
the patterns leads us to the doctrine of Christ as taught by the Savior
and His prophet-leaders. One pattern of this doctrine is to endure to
the end: “And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at
that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost;
and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last
day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb” (1 Nephi 13:37).
What is the
ultimate means by which we can enjoy the gift and power of the Holy
Ghost? It is the power that comes by being faithful disciples of Jesus
Christ. It is our love for Him and our
fellowman. It is the Savior who defined the pattern of love when He
taught us, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34).
President
Gordon B. Hinckley confirmed this principle when he said: “To love the
Lord is not just counsel; it is not just well-wishing. It is a
commandment. … Love of God is the root of all virtue, of all goodness,
of all strength of character, of all fidelity to do right” (“Words of
the Living Prophet,” Liahona, Dec. 1996, 8; “Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, Apr. 1996, 73).
The Father’s plan designated the pattern of the family
to help us learn, apply, and understand the power of love. On the day
my own family was organized, my sweet Ann and I went to the temple and
entered into the covenant of marriage. How much I thought I loved her on
that day, but I had only begun to see the vision of love. As each of
our children and grandchildren entered into our lives, our love has been
expanded to love each of them equally and fully. There is seemingly no
end to the expansive capacity to love.
The feeling
of love from our Heavenly Father is like a gravitational pull from
heaven. As we remove the distractions that pull us toward the world and
exercise our agency to seek Him, we open our hearts to a celestial force
which draws us toward Him. Nephi described its impact as “even unto the
consuming of [his] flesh” (2 Nephi 4:21). This same power of love caused Alma to sing a “song of redeeming love” (Alma 5:26; see also verse 9).
It touched Mormon in such a way that he counseled us to “pray … with
all the energy of [our] heart” that we might be filled with His love (Moroni 7:48).
Both modern
and ancient scripture are full of reminders of Heavenly Father’s eternal
love for His children. I am confident that our Heavenly Father’s arms
are constantly extended, ever ready to embrace each one of us and say to
each one with that quiet, piercing voice, “I love you.”
Because of
the heaven-designed pattern of the family, we more fully understand how
our Heavenly Father truly loves each of us equally and fully. I testify
that it is true. God does know and love us. He has given us a vision of
His holy place and called prophets and apostles to teach the principles
and the patterns that will bring us back to Him. As we strive to awaken
the desire to know in ourselves and in others and as we live the
patterns we discover, we will be drawn toward Him. I testify that Jesus
is the very Son of God, our Exemplar, our beloved Redeemer, which I
express in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Waiting on the Lord, Renewing Our Strength
Most
everyone has experienced anxiety or anticipation while waiting for
something. As a single adult, I certainly have learned what it means to
wait. For this reason Isaiah 40:31 has come to have special meaning for me: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be
weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (emphasis added). Many of us
dread waiting, but through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord tells us that
waiting can actually be a good thing.
In
the past I’ve thought of waiting as wasted time, such as when I wait
for a plane to take off or wait in line at the grocery store. This kind
of waiting requires little action on our part; it’s mostly a matter of
biding our time. This type of waiting is also usually paired with
frustration and impatience. Consider how you feel when someone you are
waiting for is late. By the time the person arrives, you may be so upset
that you had to wait that you don’t appreciate the fulfillment of your
anticipation.
Of
course, this is not the kind of waiting that Isaiah said could “renew
[our] strength.” On the contrary, impatient waiting tends to leave us
physically and emotionally exhausted. I have been guilty of this kind of
waiting too often.
So what kind of waiting was Isaiah describing? The Hebrew word translated as wait also means “hope for” and “anticipate” (Isaiah 40:31,
footnote a). To add my own interpretation, I like to think of waiting
in terms of a waiter at a restaurant. In this sense, to wait on someone
is to serve that person. A good waiter—or server—gives his or her
customers excellent care and attention by checking in often, learning
their desires, and attending to them. When I adopt this attitude toward
the Lord, it adds purpose to the time I spend awaiting a particular
blessing. In fact, time seems to pass more quickly when I am diligently
working to serve God. Ironically enough, it’s through this work that I
“renew [my] strength.”
The
same amount of time will pass whether I am squandering it in anger and
impatience or using it to serve the Lord and His children. Choosing to
“wait upon the Lord”—or viewed another way, to serve Him—yields far more
satisfying results. This choice also helps me remember that because
Heavenly Father’s greatest desire is to bless His children with what
will ultimately help us be happy, He will not only give me what I need,
He’ll also give it at the time that is best for me.
Shifting
my attitude from one of “just waiting” to “waiting upon the Lord” has
shown me that waiting can be a good thing after all. This perspective
has opened my eyes to the many gifts Heavenly Father has given me. Most
of all, it has given my life renewed strength, purpose, and meaning.
When Good Plans Don’t Work Out
Planning for the future is important, especially for young adults. But what happens when the best-laid plans don’t work out?
Jung
Sung Eun of Korea didn’t pass the qualification exam to become a
teacher. Tina Roper of Utah, USA, lost a job that she had expected to
turn into a career. Todd Schlensker of Ohio, USA, received a spiritual
confirmation to marry but saw his engagement come to an end. Alessia
Mazzolari (name has been changed) of Italy ended what appeared to be the
perfect relationship.
No
one likes having to resort to “plan B.” But even when our plans fall
through, Heavenly Father does not abandon His children. There are
multiple good ways for life to work out. In time, we may even find that
the roadblocks that changed our plans gave us needed insight and
experience (see D&C 122:7) and led to something better.
Building Character, Not Résumés
Sung
Eun had worked hard to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a
teacher. She explains, “Because I have always tried to do my best in all
I do, I have almost always been able to obtain what I hoped and prayed
for.” But that didn’t happen when she took the teacher qualification
exam. “When I failed it,” she says, “I felt I had lost all my dreams in
one day.”
Tina
wasn’t initially worried when another company acquired the one she
worked for. The new organization promised her a long-term position, so
she moved closer to her work with high hopes of an exciting new job.
When the company laid her off a few months later, she felt “lost,
confused, sad, and quite scared.”
Rather
than focus completely on building their résumés, Sung Eun and Tina
realized they could also focus on building their character. Both women
found comfort through gospel study and prayer.
“The
Apostle Paul was a wonderful friend who helped me be patient and
continually confront challenges,” says Sung Eun. “He always had a
positive attitude and willingly waited for what God had for him, rather
than hoping for his own timing.
“I
learned something from his example: the period of waiting is not merely
the process that we must go through to get what we want. Rather, it is a
process by which we become who our Heavenly Father wants us to be
through changes we make.”
Tina
found that the change she needed most was a shift in perspective. “I
was surprised to discover that I had measured my self-worth in worldly
ideas of value,” she remembers. “I felt valuable because of my
employment and position, which were taken away. I now find my self-worth
in the eternal truths that I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father and I
have divine potential. These truths can never be taken away.”
Both
Tina and Sung Eun admit that while building character isn’t always
pleasant, the fruits of personal growth are sweet. Sung Eun says, “The
year after I failed the teacher qualification exam was not only the most
painful and depressing time period, but it was also the most precious. I
became more able to truly understand other people’s difficulties and
had a desire to help them with real intent and care.”
The examples of Ammon and his brothers in the Book of Mormon
showed Tina how the Lord was stretching her faith to help her reach her
full potential. “The Lord’s plan was for the Nephites to save their
Lamanite brothers instead of using a sword to solve the problem,” she
explains. “The sons of Mosiah were given a task that required greater
faith, but they were also given a promise that if they bore their
afflictions with patience, they would receive success (see Alma 26:27).
Being patient is one of my hardest trials because I want to understand
my entire plan—but I realized that Heavenly Father’s plan and timing for
us will always be the best.”
Keeping the Commandments No Matter What
Todd
faced a bright future upon returning from his mission. While attending
school, he met a wonderful young woman. After several months of
courtship and a spiritual confirmation, Todd proposed and she accepted.
They planned their wedding for the end of the summer, and both returned
home from school to prepare.
“Three weeks after we said our good-byes at school, she ended our engagement,” Todd recalls. “Heartbroken
could not express my feelings strongly enough. There were so many
unanswered questions in my mind; it didn’t make sense. I had received a
confirmation in the house of the Lord, and now our relationship was
over. My testimony had never been tested this hard.
“Unfortunately,
for years following my breakup, I couldn’t get past it. I didn’t know
how I could ever trust a feeling of confirmation again. I had always
trusted in the Lord and tried my best to keep the commandments,” he
continues. “It all seemed for naught.”
Alessia
also thought that her relationship with a certain young man was meant
to be. “Our story was so beautiful that, even though we had the normal
difficulties that every couple encounters, we thought the relationship
would never end,” she remembers.
When
Alessia’s boyfriend left on his mission, the separation was difficult
but for a different reason than Alessia had expected. “While he was
gone, I began to know myself better. I realized that many things in my
life were not yet right and that many times I had hidden behind some
silly ideas rather than humble myself and face reality,” she recounts.
“I had been living in a kind of fairy tale, as if being in love were
enough to make everything turn out right, and often this caused me to
overlook the most important things.”
Still,
Alessia expected a happy reunion and continued relationship after her
boyfriend’s mission. However, upon his return, the couple dated only a
short time before breaking up. “It was one of the most painful moments I
can remember,” says Alessia.
In
their respective experiences, Todd and Alessia both eventually
recognized that even though a key relationship in their lives was
altered, they couldn’t abandon their obedience and allegiance to the
Lord. He became their anchor when everything else was changing and
uncertain.
“I
didn’t have all the answers to why I got a confirmation to marry
someone, and it didn’t happen,” Todd recalls. “But I realized that
didn’t matter. What did matter is that I still had faith in Christ, and I was going to use that faith to trust in whatever the Lord had in store for me.”
Alessia
knew that completely pledging herself to the Lord would bring her the
strength that she needed. “I understood that the moment had arrived for
me to decide what kind of person I wanted to be,” she says. “Would I
continue to live life halfway, or would I start on the path to becoming a
true disciple of Christ? I wanted to know Him deeply, love Him truly,
and try to be a better person by obeying all His commandments—not just
externally but in my heart with true honesty.”
Developing Hope in the Future and Faith in Christ
After
being confronted with unanticipated setbacks, all four of these young
adults struggled to find the courage to live in the present and again
plan for the future. But they found that their faith in the Lord grew.
Sung
Eun remembers that after failing her examination, trying new things
became difficult. But then came a crucial discovery: “I realized that
the real failure is to dwell on the past and make little effort to try
to work things out. I decided that rather than continuing to be sad, I
should turn this difficult time into an opportunity to learn. My ability
to understand life in general broadened and deepened, and I learned
that the end of one thing always brings about the beginning of something
else.” She has since retaken and passed the exam and is now “a happy
teacher who enjoys spending time with students each day.”
Tina
chose to trust that something was waiting for her, even though it was
difficult to face an uncertain future. “I decided to reenter school, and
there I studied the art and technology field, an area I had desired to
become involved in but I did not possess the needed skills,” she
explains. “I am ready to start another adventure, a much better one,
thanks to the wisdom of my Heavenly Father.”
Todd
continued trying to date for six years and worked to develop trust in
the Lord. Even when he met women he admired very much, he had to fight
to keep his doubts from the past from destroying his hopes for the
future. “Finding the determination not to succumb to my doubts of six
years was not easy,” he says. “But I was firm in attempting to prove to
myself that I really did trust in the Lord and His promptings, even
though I had been angry with Him before.” A new relationship eventually
led to a temple marriage.
“I
often wonder why the Lord blessed me with someone as great as my wife
when I struggled so long to fully trust the feelings of the Spirit,”
reflects Todd. “It is a testimony to me that the Lord is waiting to
bless us, but it’s always on His timetable.”
Alessia,
by rededicating herself to the Lord, developed a deep and personal
testimony. “The plan of salvation became real for me, and my covenants
became more binding and deep. Christ’s Atonement was not theory anymore
or something that I had read about, perhaps too superficially. A change
of heart was happening inside, and I had a sure witness.” Today, she
says, she feels like a new person.
Regardless
of the turns life’s journey may take, the final destination of eternal
life is what Heavenly Father plans for His children (see Moses 1:39). Some may even find that “plan B” was simply a way of making His “plan A” a reality.
For more on this topic, see Boyd K. Packer, “The Least of These,” Ensign, Nov. 2004, 86–88; Robert D. Hales, “Waiting upon the Lord: Thy Will Be Done,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 71–74; Ann M. Dibb, “Be of a Good Courage,” Ensign, May 2010, 114–16.
The Best Is Yet to Come
“We
look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the
ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought
with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and
remember that faith is always pointed toward the future.”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “The Best Is Yet to Be,” Ensign, Jan. 2010, 24.
Facing the Future with Hope
Putting the Lord, His kingdom, and our families first will give us the hope we need to face present and future challenges.
Brother
Arnaldo Teles Grilo became one of my best friends when I was in my
mid-20s. At the age of 62, Brother Grilo, then a retired engineer, was
called as one of my counselors in the presidency of what was then the
Oeiras Portugal District, where we served together for several years.
His
wisdom and experience provided me, a young priesthood leader, much
valuable counsel and insight. He was an optimist by nature; he always
saw the bright side of every situation and had a good sense of humor.
His attitude was a source of great inspiration to many around him and in
particular to me because I knew about the arduous challenges he had
faced.
After
his graduation as an engineer, Brother Grilo joined the National
Agronomic Agency as a researcher in Portugal and later traveled to one
of the Portuguese colonies in Africa to lead a cotton research project.
The project led him to a successful career as a senior executive in a
large international bank in that country. During almost 30 years in
Africa, he raised a beautiful family and enjoyed a good life until his family was abruptly forced to return to Portugal because of the tragedy of conflict and war.
Brother
Grilo and his family left behind everything they had worked for—all
their property and personal belongings—after witnessing firsthand the
devastating effects of war on a country they loved.
Despite
the confusion and turmoil generated by a war that gradually consumed
all peace and stability during his last months in Africa, Brother Grilo
rescued one of his friends by giving him an expensive car he had
purchased in Germany. The car allowed his friend and his friend’s mother
to escape the war.
The
abundant material possessions that a life of hard work had provided
Brother Grilo did not blur his priorities. He remained anchored in solid
principles and love for his family.
Back
in Portugal at age 52, he faced the reality of beginning everything
from zero. With all of this adversity and tragedy, what made the
difference in his life? Why was he so positive about the present and the
future? Why was he so confident?
Brother
Grilo was converted in the early days of the Church in Portugal and
became a solid pillar and pioneer in that country. Several times he led
his family to the temple in Switzerland, traveling 2,800 miles (4,500
km) round-trip in an expression of faith and devotion. Over his years of
service, Brother Grilo and his wife brought joy to their children and
many others.
Brother Grilo’s faith was centered in Jesus Christ and in the knowledge that in the end, Jesus Christ would reign. This gave him hope in the present and in the future.
The New Testament ends with a message of great hope.1
Prophets such as John the Revelator saw things that are to come and
told us of the blessings we would receive if we remain righteous and
endure to the end.
John saw a book with seven seals, or time periods, and he described how Satan has always fought against the righteous (see Revelation 5:1–5; 6). But John also saw that Satan would be bound and that Christ would reign in triumph (see Revelation 19:1–9; 20:1–11). Finally he saw that the righteous would dwell with God after the Last Judgment (see Revelation 20:12–15).
One
of today’s great challenges is learning to conquer fear and despair in
order to overcome trials and temptations. It takes only a few moments
for us to open a newspaper, scroll the web, or hear a news broadcast on
radio or television to be confronted with distressing accounts of crime
and natural calamities that happen every day.
Understanding
the promises in scripture concerning how the Lord will conquer evil and
how truth will conquer error can help us face the future with hope and
optimism. In today’s world we see war, natural calamities, and economic
crises. At times these events are not just things we observe from a
distance but are things that affect us personally.
There
is no need for us to mourn lost worldly possessions or to fixate on the
temporal, for those things can rob us of the joy of the simple, sublime
things of life.
I
am grateful for the example of Brother Arnaldo Teles Grilo. He kept
spiritual matters first, matters “of great worth unto [us] in the last
days” (2 Nephi 25:8), including family relationships and service to others.
We
should all face the future with hope because we know that the forces of
evil will be overcome. We should all maintain a positive outlook as we
face challenges because today we have the scriptures, the teachings of
living prophets, priesthood authority, temples, and the support of each
other as members of the Church. We should all “come off conqueror”
because of prayer (D&C 10:5). And most important, we should have hope in eternal life because of the Lord’s perfect atoning sacrifice (see Moroni 7:41).
When
our priorities are right, we will live a richer and more abundant life.
Putting the Lord, His kingdom, and our families first will give us the
hope we need to face present and future challenges.
Always in the Middle
Always in the Middle
By many
world calendars, July marks the middle of the year. While the beginnings
and endings of things are celebrated and remembered, the middle of
things often goes unnoticed.
Beginnings
are times for making resolutions, for creating plans, for bursts of
energy. Endings are times for winding down and may involve feelings of
completion or loss. But with the proper outlook, considering ourselves
as in the middle of things can help us not only to understand life a little better but also to live it a little more meaningfully.
The Middle of Missionary Work
When I
speak to our young missionaries, I often tell them they are in the
middle of their missions. Whether they just arrived the day before or
are to depart for home the day after, I ask them to think of themselves
as always being in the middle.
New
missionaries may feel they are too inexperienced to be effective, and so
they delay speaking or acting with confidence and boldness. Seasoned
missionaries who are close to completing their missions may feel sad
their missions are coming to a close, or they may slow down as they
contemplate what they will do after their missions.
Whatever
the circumstances and wherever they serve, the truth is that the Lord’s
missionaries are daily sowing countless seeds of good tidings. Thinking
of themselves as always being in the middle of their missions will
embolden and energize these faithful representatives of the Lord. As it
is with full-time missionaries, so it is with all of us.
We Are Always in the Middle
This
change in perspective is more than a simple trick of the mind. There is a
sublime truth behind the idea that we are always in the middle. If we
look at our location on a map, we are tempted to say we are at a
beginning. But if we look more closely, wherever we are is simply in the
middle of a larger place.
As it is
with space, so it is with time. We may feel we are at the beginning or
end of our lives, but when we look at where we are against the backdrop
of eternity—when we realize that our spirit has existed for time beyond
our capacity to measure and, because of the perfect sacrifice and
Atonement of Jesus Christ, that our soul will exist for an eternity to come—we can recognize that we are truly in the middle.
Recently
I felt impressed to redo the headstone on my parents’ grave. Time had
not been kind to the grave site, and I felt that a new headstone would
be more fitting for their exemplary lives. When I looked at the birth
dates and death dates on the headstone connected by the usual
insignificant little dash, this small symbol of a lifespan suddenly
filled my mind and heart with an abundance of rich memories. Each of
these treasured memories reflects a moment in the middle of my parents’
lives and in the middle of my life.
Whatever
our age, whatever our location, when things occur in our lives, we are
always in the middle. What’s more, we will forever be in the middle.
The Hope of Being in the Middle
Yes,
there will be moments of beginnings and moments of endings throughout
our lives, but these are only markers along the way of the great middle
of our eternal lives. Whether we are at the beginning or the end,
whether we are young or old, the Lord can use us for His purposes if we
simply set aside whatever thoughts limit our ability to serve and allow
His will to shape our lives.
The Psalmist says, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we [should] rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). Amulek reminds us that “this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors” (Alma 34:32; emphasis added). And a poet muses, “Forever—is composed of Nows.”1
Being
always in the middle means that the game is never over, hope is never
lost, defeat is never final. For no matter where we are or what our
circumstances, an eternity of beginnings and an eternity of endings
stretch out before us.
We are always in the middle.
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