Overcoming Adversity

It is reported that Brigham Young (1801-1877), the second president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormons, once said, "we should pray as if everything depended on the Lord, then work as if it all depended on us." (Dorothy M. Hellberg, “‘Well Worn, Minus Rough Edges’,” Ensign, Feb 1984, 63) Most of us go through life with this belief and try very hard.  However, sometimes we are faced with insurmountable odds.  We start to feel the hopelessness and despair that comes from not knowing any possible way out. 

When there isn't anything else we know of to do it is time to turn to the Lord.  We read in Psalms 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God".

We hear the exact phrase again in more modern scripture. Early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were mercilessly persecuted for their belief.  In December of 1833 they had been driven from their homes time and time again by mobs.  The loss of homes, personal property, and crops weighed heavily on them and they were faced with seemingly insurmountable odds.  The Lord comforted them by saying, "let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God." (Doctrine and Covenants 101:16)

It all boils down to faith.  Faith that Heavenly Father is in charge and knows what is best for us.  Faith that "with God all things are possible". (Matthew 19:26)  Since faith is a principle of action, we sometimes need to trust in the Lord and see what he can do for us.  Faith then becomes a principle of power.

In the Bible in the Old Testament there is another group of people who were faced with seemingly insurmountable odds.  King Hezekiah was a very righteous king.  He lived at the time of Isaiah, the prophet.  The kings before him were not very righteous and caused the people to commit wickedness.  King Hezekiah purged Judah of wickedness and "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord" and "trusted in the Lord God of Israel".  (2 Kings 18:3-7).  At that time Assyria was conquering all Israel but King Hezekiah would not submit to Assyrian rule.  Those who got conquered were defeated "because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed his covenant". (2 Kings 18:12) 

The king of Assyria mocked Hezekiah for trusting in the Lord and bragged about his own strength and the strength of his armies.  He sent men to the walls of the city who tried to convince the people not to follow King Hezekiah saying they were being deceived by him and it was hopeless to think they could prevail.  The people loved and believed Hezekiah and would not listen to the men of Assyria.

King Hezekiah, being the righteous king that he was, went to the temple and prayed before the Lord saying, "I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only." (2 Kings 19:19)  His answer came through the prophet Isaiah who said, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou has prayed to me ... I have heard.... He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it....  For I will defend this city, to save it" (2 Kings 19:20, 32, 34)

So what happened? Let's read 2 Kings 19:35.  "And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses."

There were 185,000 troops killed by the angel of the Lord that night and the king of the Assyrians returned to Assyria.

As King Hezekiah showed faith and trusted completely in the Lord, we too need to have the same faith and trust.  We need to do all we can but when that isn't enough we need to pray to our Heavenly Father.  He loves us and wants to bless us.  He will hear us in our hour of need.  In the Bible in the New Testement Jesus performed a miracle by calming a stormy sea.  "And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." (Mark 4:39) With sufficient faith the Lord can perform a miracle with our lives and we can experience a "great calm".

"Faith fuels hope. Our perspective changes; our vision becomes clearer. We begin to look for the best, not the worst, in life and in others. We gain a deeper sense of life's purpose and meaning. Despair gives way to joy.

Faith such as this is a heavenly gift, but it can be sought and cultivated. As our Bible Dictionary suggests, often 'faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith.' Faith is then nurtured as we allow ourselves to believe. Like all other virtues, faith is strengthened as we practice it, as we live and act as if our faith were already deep. Faith is the product of righteous desire, belief, and obedience." (David S. Baxter, “Faith, Service, Constancy,” Ensign, Nov. 2006, 13)

How have you seen the hand of the Lord in your life when you've been presented with seemingly impossible situations?

Adversity is the refiner’s fire that bends iron but tempers steel. (President James E. Faust, Ensign February 1988, "The Blessings of Adversity")

These past several weeks have been very challenging ones for our family. For awhile, it felt as if we came through one trial, only to be thrown into the midst of another. The latest and the most devastating to date was the sudden and unexpected death of a dear brother-in-law just two weeks ago.

My brother-in-law was only in his late thirties when he died, still so young and so full of life. My sister and brother-in-law have only been married for four short years. They used to joke that it took them a long to find each other. Like many of us, they were very much in love and looking forward to spending their lives together.

It is understandable that my sister is devastated and is struggling to be strong. She's been dealt a blow that only those who've felt the sting of such a great loss can understand. She is grieving so deeply it is painful for us to witness it because we all feel so helpless.

There are two things that give my sister the strength to get up every day.

First, she has immense faith in our Lord and Savior. She understands His plan of Salvation. She knows that one day she will be reunited with her "eternal flame" (as they referred to each other) for they are bound together for time and eternity.

Second, she has an incredible army of friends and loved ones that have rallied around her. She's felt the comforting arms of friends and family reaching out to her from around the world. It's quite an incredible and uplifting experience to see just how caring and wonderful her friends are towards her. Some of the most touching expressions of love and support came from people she taught and baptized when she served a full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over 16 years ago.

Reflecting on this experience, I'm reminded of the prophet Alma's words to his people when he taught them what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ.

And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life— (Mosiah 18:8-9).

Death and dying is part of the cycle of life. We all know and understand this. However, knowing and understanding doesn't make the passing of a loved one any easier or any less painful. For most of us, the separation that comes with death, will be one of the greatest adversities we'll have to face in this life.

How fortunate we are that when such times come, we have true disciples of Christ all around us who will run to our side to help bear our burdens so that we don't have to carry them alone. How lucky we are that when those times come, we have friends and loved ones who will mourn with us, who will comfort us in our time of need.

As her older sister, I'm so grateful to know that my sister is surrounded by loving friends. I'm grateful that my sister is the strong daughter of God that she is. I know that this experience, as devastating as it is, may bend her for a time, but it will not break her.

I'm thankful that we have the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Knowing that families are forever, that her marriage is eternal, is a great blessing and comfort to my sister today and in the many days ahead.

Into every life there come the painful, despairing days of adversity and buffeting. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful.

The thorns that prick, that stick in the flesh, that hurt, often change lives which seem robbed of significance and hope. This change comes about through a refining process which often seems cruel and hard. In this way the soul can become like soft clay in the hands of the Master in building lives of faith, usefulness, beauty, and strength. For some, the refiner’s fire causes a loss of belief and faith in God, but those with eternal perspective understand that such refining is part of the perfection process. (President James E. Faust)

Adversity is a given in life. We will all experience it. It is for this very reason that we are here in this mortal journey - to prove ourselves through our trials and tribulations. During times of adversity, some choose to abandon faith in the Lord. Others choose to remain steadfast and true. They choose to hold fast to their faith and continue to serve the Lord and their fellowmen.

Service is a big part of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We may be asked to teach Sunday school, conduct music, teach small children, lead the congregation, teach early morning Seminary, help with the Sunday bulletin, or be a visiting teacher. It really doesn't matter where in the Church we're asked to serve. What matters is that we serve to the best of our abilities. What matters is that we use the talents the Lord has blessed us with to serve Him and our fellowmen in whatever capacity we're asked to serve.

I've seen and felt the hand of adversity this year. I've also witnessed an outpouring of blessings through the selfless service of others.

Yesterday, I was released as the Relief Society (women's organization of the Church) president in our ward (local Church unit). This basically means that as of yesterday, I'm no longer the Relief Society president for our ward. A release from a calling in the Church usually comes about when one is being called to serve somewhere else, is moving out of the ward, when personal or family circumstances change, or it might simply be time to give someone else an opportunity to serve in that position. We're moving back to the West Coast in a week!

As the Relief Society president, I came to love each of the women in the ward. However, there is a special place in my heart for those sisters who experienced great adversity over the past year. Some sisters have serious health related challenges. Others are struggling financially. There are problems in marriages and other family relationships. The list goes on. Each is dealing with trials and adversity in her own way. With faith in the Lord and with help from her sisters in the Relief Society, each sister continues to move forward, one step at a time.

Sometimes, serving and helping someone else does require a lot from us, but I've found that these times are very rare. Most times, it's the small and sincere acts of love that go a long way in easing someone else's load. Often times, it doesn't cost us anything except an hour or two of our time. At times, a smile, a kind word, a true friend, is all that is needed. Someone who will listen and not judge. Someone who understands, who cares, who looks past the shortcomings to the person inside. Someone who is willing to share another's burden, even if it is just for a few minutes.

Alma, a prophet of the Book of Mormon taught us that to become true disciples of Jesus Christ, we must be willing to bear one another's burden.

And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life. (Mosiah 18:8-9)

A wonderful thing happens when we strive to serve and help others during their trials - we forget to dwell on our challenges. Our problems may not disappear completely but somehow our perspective changes. What once seemed insurmountable is not quite so overwhelming. We stop feeling sorry for ourselves.

I'm filled with gratitude for the examples of these sisters. Despite personal trials, these sisters chose to serve and help someone else. They remind me on a constant basis that each of us is our sister's keeper. We are indeed our brothers' keepers!

Selfless service is a wonderful antidote to the ills that flow from the worldwide epidemic of self-indulgence. Some grow bitter or anxious when it seems that not enough attention is being paid to them, when their lives would be so enriched if only they paid more attention to the needs of others.

The answer lies in helping to solve the problems of those around us rather than worrying about our own, living to lift burdens even when we ourselves feel weighed down, putting our shoulder to the wheel instead of complaining that the wagons of life seem to be passing us by.

Stretching our souls in service helps us to rise above our cares, concerns, and challenges. As we focus our energies on lifting the burdens of others, something miraculous happens. Our own burdens diminish. We become happier. There is more substance to our lives.
(Elder David S. Baxter of the Seventy).