Strengthened in Trials

Sometimes in the midst of trials, we pray for God to remove the trial from us - and sometimes He does. Other times, it may not be in our best interest for the trial to be removed because we learn and grow so much from our trials. In this case, God can bless us with strength to overcome and endure. This was the case with Lehi's family in the wilderness as described by Nephi in 1 Nephi 17:1-3.

Nephi admits that they did "wade through much affliction in the wilderness" and mentions that the "women did bear children in the wilderness" I can't even imagine how challenging that must have been. Giving birth and also taking care of a newborn child while living in tents and traveling through the wilderness must have been an intense trial. Nephi's very next sentence surprises, "And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us" and then he talks about how the women were able to "give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong" despite living on raw meat. Instead of taking away this trial, the Lord strengthened them "and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings."

Nephi then summarizes the lesson to be learned:

"And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness."

 Bottom line is obey God, and He will strengthen you in your trials and help you be obedient.

3 Ne 22 - Isaiah Speaks to Parents

The words of Isaiah have always been difficult to me but as I studied them this morning a few things did stand out to me.

In 3 Nephi 22:4 "Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame;" made me think of the vision of the Tree of Life that Lehi saw. The first THREE out of four groups of people did not make it to the tree and/or did not endure to the end because of shame at being mocked by the great and spacious building, or the cares of the world.

And in 3 Ne 22:7-8 "For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." This is a good lesson in the midst of our trials. We sometimes feel alone, which is really to give us opportunities to grow. But the promise is there - "with great mercies will I gather thee" and "with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee." Those promises are real, and they are the reason why we must turn to the Lord in times of crisis and need, even if we feel alone.

In 3 Ne 22:13-14 some incredible promises are given for us. Isaiah is speaking to the "afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted" - which could be any one of us who is trying to be in the world but not of the world. He basically says it won't be easy but it will be worth it as he explains the result: "And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established..." What greater blessing could we ask for than this?

Then to give us further confidence against the adversary and his forces, we are promised in verses 15-17: "whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake...no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;...This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."Make sure you are on the Lord's side!

Help Them on Their Way By President Henry B. Eyring

Quotes and remarks are based on the talk entitled Help Them on Their Way by President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency of the Church in the April 2010 General Conference. The talk can be found here.

President Eyring explains that it is much better to teach children while they're young to have faith and obey the commandments:

"So we help God’s children best by providing ways to build faith in Jesus Christ and His restored gospel when they are young. And then we must help rekindle that faith quickly before it dims as they wander off the path."

He illustrates with a story of a woman that came to see him who had deviated from the path of righteousness, had made many mistakes, and wanted desperately to change her life from misery to happiness. She had grown up in the Church before making incorrect choices that led her to stray from it. How much easier it would have been for her to have had support and encouragement as a child than to have to go through the bitter process of repentance and lifestyle change.

He explains that we have a "nearly continuous opportunity to help travelers among God’s children" as we are all constantly trying to stay on the path. Satan fights hard to lead people astray, so we need to help one another out to overcome his evil influence! This is said to perfectly to paraphrase:

"Foreseeing the needs of His children, a loving Heavenly Father placed directions and rescuers along their way. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to make safe passage possible and visible. He called as His prophet in these times President Thomas S. Monson. Since his youth President Monson has taught not only how to stay on the path but also how to rescue those who have been led away into sorrow.

Heavenly Father has assigned us to a great variety of stations to strengthen and, when needed, to lead travelers to safety. Our most important and powerful assignments are in the family. They are important because the family has the opportunity at the start of a child’s life to put feet firmly on the path home. Parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles are made more powerful guides and rescuers by the bonds of love that are the very nature of a family."

President Eyring says that "if the children are strengthened with faith and testimony, they will be less likely to need rescue as teenagers. They realize that a strong spiritual foundation can make the difference for a lifetime." This is why it's so important to teach children while they're young and innocent.

If you think that you can't make a difference, you're absolutely mistaken. You can change a child's life. He says, "We all can help. Grandmothers, grandfathers, and every member who knows a child can help. It doesn’t take a formal calling in Primary. Nor is it limited by age. One such woman, as a younger person, was on the Primary general board that helped create the CTR motto." I like how President Eyring describes the help available for teenagers during those difficult teen years:

"The Lord has placed a pattern of rescue and rescuers in His kingdom. In His wisdom the Lord has inspired His servants to place some of the most powerful ways to strengthen us and to put in place the best rescuers as we pass through the teenage years.

You know of two powerful programs provided by the Lord. One, for young women, is called Personal Progress. The other, for Aaronic Priesthood holders, is called Duty to God. We encourage young people in the rising generation to see their own potential to build great spiritual strength. And we plead with those who care about those young people to rise to what the Lord requires of us to help them. And since the future of the Church depends upon them, all of us care."

He mentions how when he was growing up, such programs did not exist and he had few things in his life that challenged him as these programs are meant to challenge youth. He says:

"On reflection I realized that the contents of these booklets are a physical representation of the Lord’s trust in the rising generation and in all of us who love them. And I have seen evidence that the trust is well placed."

How can we help them? He says:

"Of all the help we can give these young people, the greatest will be to let them feel our confidence that they are on the path home to God and that they can make it. And we do that best by going with them. Because the path is steep and sometimes rocky, they will at times feel discouraged and even stumble...

The example they most need from us is to do what they must do. We need to pray for the gifts of the Spirit. We need to ponder in the scriptures and in the words of living prophets. We need to make plans which are not only wishes but covenants. And then we need to keep our promises to the Lord. And we need to lift others by sharing with them the blessings of the Atonement which have come in our lives. And we need to exemplify in our own lives the steady and prolonged faithfulness that the Lord expects of them."

This will not only help them to find joy in their lives, but bring us great joy as we serve them and watch them grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Lastly, in closing, I want to share the testimony that he ends with:

"I testify that the Lord loves you and every child of God. This is His kingdom, restored with priesthood keys through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Thomas S. Monson is the Lord’s prophet today. I promise each of you, as you follow inspired direction in this, the true Church of Jesus Christ, that our youth and we who help and love them can be delivered safely to our home with Heavenly Father and the Savior to live in families and in joy forever."