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
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