Last Sunday morning was a little bit tough for me. An issue I've been dealing with for quite some time seemed harder than ever. And I broke down in sobs. I prayed and asked for strength and guidance of how best to deal with this problem. I was heartbroken and emotional. I prayed and fasted and waited for the comfort and peace that I know the Lord provides to all of us when we ask.
As I drove to church, it came. You see, on Sundays, I don't listen to music in my car. Instead, I listen to CDs from past general conferences. The CD I happened to pop in the night before began with the talk by Elder Wirthlin entitled, "Come What May and Love It." I listened to it twice on the way to church. (In fact, I probably listen to that talk at least once or twice a week!) But somehow, I heard different messages this time that I hadn't heard before. Heavenly Father answered my prayer. He provided the comfort and peace I needed through the words of His humble servant and disciple, the late Joseph B. Wirthlin. I'm so grateful for the righteous and humble men that lead and guide our church.
In Elder Wirthlin's talk, the message that really stuck out when all was said and done was a message of the atonement. Not only can we receive strength through Christ's atonement, but we can also get to know Christ better through His atonement. Let me explain. When we go through trials, as all of us do, we are able to draw on the atonement for strength. We're able to turn to Jesus Christ, the ONE PERSON who knows EXACTLY how we're feeling, because he went through all things. We can find much strength and comfort in that.
Additionally, however, we learn to be more like Christ through our trials. When we go through struggles, we understand even more what He went through. And we're able to relate to others better as well. What an amazing blessing that comes from those struggles we deal with daily! I feel truly grateful.
I know that as we experience trials, we can improve ourselves and those around us. As Heavenly Father said to Joseph Smith about all of the trials that he would deal with,
"... know thou, my son [or daughter], that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for they good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? Therefore, hold on thy way... 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" (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7-9).
1 comment:
I think that this is, sadly, an under-used source of strength. We often feel that we are totally alone, and that no one understands how we are feeling or what we are dealing with. We always have Christ, though, and he knows exactly what you feel like.
I think that this "enabling power" (as Elder Bednar calls it) is just as important as the "forgiving power" available through Christ's atonement. We were never meant to do this by ourselves.
Thanks for the reminder.
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