Overcoming Adversity

It's been raining here all day. Rain, rain, rain! So much for our plans for the day. Now, we have to postpone them for tomorrow which means tomorrow's agenda has to be pushed off for another day. Ordinarily, postponing tasks for another day isn't such a big deal but we are moving in a couple of weeks. We need to get our stuff packed, shampoo the carpets, clean the windows, paint a couple of walls, and so on. In short, we've got a ton of stuff to do and could have used a nice sunny day. Instead, we got rain, lots and lots of rain!

Have you ever had days like that? Sometimes, does it feel as if things, events, and even people are conspiring to make your life miserable, or at the very least, harder than it should be? Well, I sure felt that way today. Fortunately, that didn't last very long. Today was supposed to be 'cleaning the windows' day. It was one of the rare days when the older boys were both available to help with the tall windows so it was a perfect plan. Or so I thought! Apparently, we were meant to do something else today. Something more important. Something that we will all treasure for a very long time.

We didn't clean windows. We made memories instead. One of the boys came up with the idea. He thought it would be neat if they made a recording of their favorite times with their dad. They wanted to present this to their dad when he deploys in a few weeks. We all agreed that it was a wonderful gift and one that my husband will undoubtedly cherish and love. My husband is out of town for work so it was a perfect day to do it.

At first, the boys were a little awkward but then they got into the spirit of the project. It was amazing how much they remembered. The two oldest at 19 and 16 talked about experiences they shared with their dad when they were as young as 7 and 8. There were many intimate and special moments shared today. It was quite an emotional day for all of us. Tears were shed, and words of love and appreciation were expressed. In the end, we were all blessed just as surely as my husband will be blessed when he listens to these messages in the days to come. Reliving those memories helped us all to remember how important our family is. It brought us closer and strengthened our bond as a family that much more.

What started out as a bleak and rainy day turned into the brightest and most beautiful day for my family. Sure, we still have to wash windows. We lost a day so that probably means extra work but I'd gladly trade a day of washing windows for a day like today if given that opportunity again. What's an extra hour or two of washing windows if we can have that kind of time with our kids? It reminds me of that commercial on TV. I don't remember all of it exactly but if our experience today was part of that commercial it would conclude with something like this: "Quality time with the kids - priceless!"

After today, I will try hard to always look for the silver lining in all of my days. Likewise, I will strive to remember that even in the midst of my trials, there is always a silver lining. I know that this knowledge and my faith in the Lord will sustain me in the days to come. Things may not always go as we plan or want but if we trust in the Lord and listen to the promptings of the Spirit, it will all work out. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Even if you cannot always see that silver lining on your clouds, God can, for He is the very source of the light you seek. He does love you, and He knows your fears. He hears your prayers. He is your Heavenly Father, and surely He matches with His own the tears His children shed.

For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand. (Doctrine & Covenants 58:2-3)

What does it mean to be faithful in tribulation? When faced with adversity, sometimes the easiest thing to do is to develop an escapist mentality and attempt to avoid the situation at hand. Most people turn to negative and potentially addictive behaviors when they try to run away from their problems. These addictive behaviors can range from alcohol and drugs, to gambling and even video games. To be faithful in tribulation means to walk the hard road in faith and live righteously no matter what the situation is and to turn to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father for help to endure well. It means that you must walk forward and onward righteously instead of running away or stepping aside from our trials.

To be faithful in tribulation, we need to ultimately remember that we are children of God. He is our Father in Heaven who loves us, and wants us to be happy. He wants us to learn our lessons in mortality and to choose to live righteously so we can return to Him after this life. Sometimes the lessons we need to learn can only be taught from experiencing tribulation in matters even greater than ourselves. He gives us the Commandments and scriptures to help guide us through troubled times and to bring us joy. He gave to the world a savior, His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, the most perfect example of how to live righteously. As His children, He sends His comfort through the Spirit, but we are given the choice to accept it, and the choice to believe in Him.

We need to keep an open line of communication with our Heavenly Father by praying to Him daily. Daily prayers facilitate blessings in our lives. When we humble ourselves before Him and express our gratitude, we experience peace of mind. Even if a person has not selected to participate in any one religion, prayer is the steadfast truth of the ages. Prayer is the focused intent of an individual. It has the power to manifest our innermost desires. We are all His children and He hears us. When we choose to pray, we will receive the guidance we need. When we choose to pray, we facilitate our spiritual progress, which will lead us to personal revelations and further instruction. When we speak to our Heavenly Father, we will feel His love for us daily, and when we most need it, in times of tribulation.

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) we make covenants to our Heavenly Father that we will choose to turn to Him in our trials and tribulations, instead of the trappings of mortality. Through these covenants, we are blessed with the power to endure well because we are strengthened by Him. When we are baptized, we promise to be faithful, and in the service of Jesus and our Heavenly Father, forever. We are endowed with knowledge that should we choose to keep our covenants, even through tribulation, we will be blessed not only in this life, but in immortality. We are given examples of this truth in studying the scriptures. When we have prayerful conversations with our Heavenly Father, He provides us with the comfort of His Spirit, and the guidance we need to persevere. We are also given a Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, and other inspired leaders of our church to give us counsel on how to continue to be faithful during the trials and tribulations of our day.

As the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ draws near, we must be ever diligent to the choices we make no matter what our circumstance may be. We must be faithful in tribulation. As we do so, our testimonies of the gospel will grow and our faith to endure righteously will become easier. When we do all that we are supposed to do, our lives will be blessed, now and in the hereafter.

The shadow of adversity is cast over all of us in our mortality. It happens to everyone. But there are things that we can do to help us remember that there is hope, and that the shadow will not last any longer than we sometimes let it. One of those things that helps us hear the Spirit of God is through listening to music, specifically, music inspired from scripture, otherwise known as hymns. It is not a cure all, but it does help to instantly inspire good thoughts.

The purpose of hymns is to inspire and uplift. We sing them aloud in our congregations to give praise to our Heavenly Father. If we put aside our worldly thoughts and give our full attention to the words being sung and the melody of the music, we will invite the Spirit into our hearts to bring us comfort and joy. Hymns can often strike a chord in our souls that can be a source of revelation to us individually. We may not initially know how our innermost thoughts can impact us until we hear a hymn that resonates deep within us. We are moved spiritually and often, this moves us enough to follow our thoughts into positive deeds.

Even if we don't speak the original language that the hymn may be written in, since music is a universal language, just knowing that the intent behind the hymn is supposed to stir us spiritually, we can still feel the uplifting effects nevertheless. For instance, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir (dubbed affectionately as "America's Choir") has performed worldwide and everywhere they have toured they have received acclaim from people of all ages, diverse cultures, and varying religious traditions.

The hymns written after the Restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as Mormons) are there for us to remember the sacrifices of those that came before us and their dedication (despite persecution) to never betray the truths of their faith. Even in these hymns, we empathize with their struggles, and hope to glean the faith they must have had to overcome the adversity they faced. They are survivor stories, and they are meant to inspire us to keep the faith that our Savior, Jesus Christ is always with us.

Every time I feel the shadow of adversity lingering over me in my daily life, I listen to the following hymn.

The Lord is my light; then why should I fear?
By day and by night his presence is near.
He is my salvation from sorrow and sin;
This blessed assurance the Spirit doth bring.

[Chorus]
The Lord is my light;
He is my joy and my song.
By day and by night he leads,
He leads me along.

The Lord is my light; tho clouds may arise,
Faith, stronger than sight, looks up thru the skies
Where Jesus forever in glory doth reign.
Then how can I ever in darkness remain?

The Lord is my light; the Lord is my strength.
I know in his might I'll conquer at length.
My weakness in mercy he covers with pow'r,
And, walking by faith, I am blest ev'ry hour.

The Lord is my light, my all and in all.
There is in his sight no darkness at all.
He is my Redeemer, my Savior, and King.
With Saints and with angels his praises I'll sing.

Text: James Nicholson, 1828-1876
Music: John R. Sweney, 1837-1899

No matter how distraught I am, if I take a few moments to listen to that hymn, I am always uplifted. The words are all there for me to repeat as a prayer, even if when I am at a loss for words. As I mentioned before, just listening to a hymn doesn't solve the problem, but it helps to guide me to a clear path to be able to form a solution. Whatever may cloud my judgment or cast a shadow over the hope of a resolution, when I accept that hymn into my heart, I feel the comfort of the Spirit of God, and I feel blessed.

For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads. (D & C 25:12)

Do you have to be Mormon to appreciate the hymns and reap in the benefits they can provide? Of course not! However, I do invite you to attend a Sacrament Meeting to really be able to feel the impact of one of our hymns sung by the voices of those that belong to our faith and live by its precepts. Or, you could probably borrow a CD of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the music section at your local public library. Everyone has their favorite hymns, I look forward to hearing what some of yours could be.