Sacrament Talk October 25th: Resilience

 Back in March I was offered the opportunity to speak with you all in Sacrament. I joyfully said yes, but immediately asked “when?” Because I wanted to make sure I had enough time to prepare. I really thrive on being prepared. I like having a plan and sticking to it… Well here I am 7 months later finally standing before you. So much has changed in these last several months from when I was originally preparing my thoughts that I have felt the need to make some adjustments. Oh, and just what is it that I would like to talk to you about today? Resilience. 

Back in March I was offered the opportunity to speak with you all in Sacrament. I joyfully said yes, but immediately asked “when?” Because I wanted to make sure I had enough time to prepare. I really thrive on being prepared. I like having a plan and sticking to it… Well here I am 7 months later finally standing before you. So much has changed in these last several months from when I was originally preparing my thoughts that I have felt the need to make some adjustments. Oh, and just what is it that I would like to talk to you about today? Resilience. 

We have been given many opportunities to strengthen this attribute recently, haven’t we? Most of us would probably agree that 2020 hasn’t gone as they had planned. 

Many of us have faced unexpected and very real challenges this year that could leave us feeling lost, overwhelmed or disappointed. We may find ourselves in situations that we never would have expected.

Some of us may find the story of the people of Alma in the BOM relatable… In Mosiah 24 we read… 

“And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily unto God” 

Have any of us felt this way? 

The scriptures go on to say…

“And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort” and the Lord continues … “I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while your are in bondage, and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.”

“And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light, yea the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.”

Like the people of Alma, we can choose to pray to our loving Heavenly Father during these challenging times. While our circumstances may not change immediately, we can receive the strength we need to be resilient during even the most difficult of times.

I want to pause here and testify that I know that this is true. I have personally fallen to my knees and poured out my heart to Heavenly Father thru very difficult challenges. While my circumstances did not change I have been able to experience joy. I know that Heavenly Father is able to see our challenges thru a different perspective and help us find solutions that we may not be able to see for ourselves.

Being resilient DOES NOT mean that we remain complacent and subject ourselves to whatever unfortunate circumstance that life throws our way. We can be patient and long suffering while also actively seeking opportunities to better our situation. 

This was exactly the case with the people of Alma. As the story goes on, we know that while the people of Alma bore their burdens “cheerfully”, they also seized the first safe opportunity that they had to escape from bondage, with the help of the Lord.

Likewise, as we exercise faith in our Heavenly Father and his plan for us through difficult times, we can actively engage in bettering our situation. 

***

Perhaps one of the best companions to becoming resilient, is to learn to receive personal revelation. When we trust that Heavenly Father has a specific plan for US and we are striving to follow that plan, it can be easier to feel peace when things get hard or when our path looks different that we had expected.

Sometimes our path may look different than someone else’s path. Before Covid, Jim or I would often have meetings before church which meant that we took two cars to church. After church we would each pile into our separate cars and head home. Without fail, an unspoken race would begin. You see, Jim feels quite certain that Watt avenue is the best route but I am certain that PFE is better. While we are both out to prove that our path is better, It really usually comes down to who gets stuck at the light at Baseline. When Jim gets stuck at the light, Being the woman of conviction that I am, I like to roll my window down and give a celebratory wave as I drive past him and on to victory. Although it’s all in good fun, the reality is that each of these routes, although different, both lead us safely home which is where we want to be.

Often times we can feel prompted to take a path that is different from others. When considering how to navigate the challenges of life, it can be GOOD to look to trusted friends and family to see what paths are working for them and maybe adopt some good habits, but it is BEST to also seek personal revelation from a loving and all knowing Heavenly Father for us specifically. We may find that our path leads us down a completely different, but equally successful road that will ultimately lead us to where we want and need to go.

The Nephites experienced this very situation while preparing for an inevitable battle with the wicked Gadianton Robbers. Much like many of us at this time, they had found themselves in a situation that was quite life altering… Everything they had known, every sense of normalcy they had previously experienced and enjoyed had now changed. They had left their lives, their jobs, homes, and all of their comforts behind to gather together to prepare both temporally and spiritually for the challenging tasks that lie ahead of them. After going to great lengths, making many painful sacrifices, they had finally come up with a plan. A strategy for battle. They would set out and meet the Gadianton Robbers in their lands and initiate battle. It was a good plan. A plan that worked very well for Captain Moroni years before, and he was one of the most successful Army leaders of their time… It all seemed to make sense… however when they took this plan to the Lord thru prayer, they learned that that was not the right plan for them. Their righteous leader, Gidgiddoni received this revelation in 3 Nephi chapter 3 vs. 21 which says:

“The Lord forbid. For if we should go up against them the Lord would deliver us into their hands; therefore we will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them, but we will wait till they shall come against us, therefore as the Lord liveth, if we will do this he will deliver them into our hands.”

They needed to change course. They had worked hard and made many sacrifices in preparation for overcoming this challenge. Those preparations gave them an advantage and no doubt brought them some peace of mind in uncertain times… but it was their willingness to seek and then FOLLOW council from the Lord thru personal revelation that provided their ultimate protection. It was because of their faith in Heavenly Father’s plan for THEM SPECIFICALLY - (not Moroni’s plan, or the Jones’s next door, but THEM SPECIFICALLY) - that they were able to be resilient in changing course and carrying out a different plan that ultimately lead them to safety and success.

Just as the Lord’s promise to the Nephites, I also know that as the Lord liveth, if we will do His will, he will deliver us.

Our modern day prophet President Russell M. Nelson’s most recent council to us thru these challenging times have echoed this same message. He has encouraged us to “Hear Him” and to “Let God Prevail”. When we are striving to do these things we can be resilient and faithful when life’s unexpected challenges come our way because we can trust that we are being guided by our perfect Father in Heaven.

President Nelson promises us that “The lord has pledged that he will fight our battles, and our children’s battles, and our children’s children’s battles, to the third and fourth generation..” He goes on to say, “As you choose to let God prevail in your lives, you will experience for yourselves that our God is a God of miracles.”

I’d like to close with my testimony. I know these things to be true. 

I have felt God’s guidance in my life as I strive to be resilient in unexpected times. I feel him listening and comforting and prompting me when I pray. I love the scriptures. I can feel their power in my life when I read them and learn from them. I am no scriptorian but the good news is that we don’t have to be. I have felt so much peace and guidance as I have studied the Book of Mormon throughout this year. I have also felt confirmations over and over again that President Nelson is our prophet and that he receives revelation in behalf of God’s people at this time. While these days are filled with so many unknowns, I feel comforted that if we follow him we will be ok. 

Amen

How 3 Nephi Chapter 3 applies to my life

I have been meaning to find a quiet moment to sit down and document the spiritual enlightenment that I felt while reading 3 Nephi chapter 3.

...A bit of back-story... We are 8 months into the Covid 19 lockdowns. It has been rough. The kids have not been in school or sports for 8 months and counting. Distance learning and having the kids locked at home with very little social outlet has been challenging. We also just attended our first church meeting in 8 months last Sunday. Half the ward, socially distanced, with masks, no talking or touching or singing. Our country is also in a time of great racial divide, especially in democratic states. This division has resulted in rioting and looting, destroying of public property, and very strong and loud voices demanding attention on social media and news outlets. Additionally, California has spend nearly all summer on fire for the past several years. Just this summer, millions of acres have burned. Millions. Air quality is poor most of the late summer months, preventing people from going outside. Evacuations, and property loss or damage are all very real concerns here in California. Lastly, this is an election year. Political division is at an all-time high. Just as with the racial division, both sides are hateful against the other. Word travels almost instantly with live video and social media stirring up rage and hate due to the poor actions of the minority on both sides. We live in a state of fear over the upcoming Presidential elections. Fear of what will happen and how our country will change if Biden wins, and fear of backlash and rioting if Trump wins, especially in California. 

All of this is to say that the world is truly in commotion, as prophesied. I have often wondered what I can do to protect my family from all the challenges around us at this time.

The Nephites in 3 Nephi Chapter 3 were experiencing very similar circumstances. They were in a state of war. Struggles for power and status lead many to follow the pride of their hearts at the expense of the greater good... not only to do wickedly but to feel justified in their wickedness. There was great division and dessention among the people. Families had to leave their homes, their jobs, their comforts and their stability to prepare a safe place for themselves to face the impending war against the Gadianton Robbers.

As I read through this chapter I was impressed to see the many preparations that the Nephites made to be successful through these great challenges. In studying their preparations, I see that they were not only preparing temporally but also spiritually. 

Some of their temporal preparations included leaving their homes and gathering together as one united group. They fortified the borders of their gathering place. They stored food and supplies. They made preparations and weapons for war. They organized their armies and created strategies and plans for attack.

Their spiritual preparations included listening to and following their Prophet. Repenting and prayer.  They chose righteous men to be their leaders and to lead their armies - men with the spirit of revelation and prophesy. They prayed to be delivered. They did "exhert themselves in all their might" to do what was right.

Going back to their temporal preparations... One of the preparations they made was to strategize their plan of attack. It was their desire to leave and fall upon the Gadianton Robbers on their lands. Perhaps they made this plan because others had been successful with those strategies in the past (Moroni). Perhaps they knew that war was very destructive and they desired to keep the destruction our of their lands... Whatever the reason, this was their plan. BUT, before carrying out this plan, they prayed. They also asked their Prophet to pray and ask if this was right. And guess what... it wasn't. The Lord revealed to Lachoneus that if they should do this, they would be destroyed by the Gadianton Robbers. They had  made every temporal preparation necessary, and had prepared themselves spiritually to receive guidance and the answer wasn't what they had expected. So with this new revelation known, what did the Nephites do? They chose faith. The Nephites humbled themselves and changed course, choosing the Lord's plan over their own. And because they made this choice- a choice that they made without having all the answers, a choice that was different from what others had done, a choice that was different that what they would have chosen themselves - they were protected.

Can you imagine how terrible it would have been for them if they hadn't asked the Lord for direction? They would have left their homes, their jobs and all that they knew to live in a make-shift shelter,  spending months preparing rations and storages of food and supplies. They would have labored to make weapons and protections for war and sent their loved ones off to battle only to be destroyed. All of their efforts would have lead them to a devastating dead end of destruction. Not because their temporal efforts were not enough. Not because they did not make tremendous sacrifices. But because they would have deprived themselves of receiving divine guidance from an all knowing, loving Heavenly Father who knew which path would lead them to safety.

As I reflect on this chapter, I also ponder what direction I can go and what preparations I need to make to keep my family safe during these challenging times. I know that with every temporal preparation made, I also need to prepare myself spiritually to #HearHim (my Heavenly Father). To listen intently and then be willing to act when promptings come. I can do this just as the Nephites did - by daily repentance. Meaningful prayer. Following the Prophet. Choosing righteous people to lead and guide me in my life. By "exherting myself in all my might" to do what is right. Just as the Nephites, I may find that the right path for me is different from what is right from someone else. I may find that what worked for someone else doesn't work for me. I may find that the right path is not the most convenient. But I know that if I am doing all that I can to temporally AND spiritually prepare myself, the path will... eventually... be made clear.