Burdens

This past week I have been thinking a lot about burdens and trials.  There’s not an obvious reason why because I haven’t had a major event or catastrophe happen.  I was just reminded through some small experiences how important it is to be grateful for the “troubles” we go through because they help us be humble and through that humility we can become like God.

When I think back over the course of my life I can find many depressing and dark holes, places I would never want to return to.  And yet, I find great joy in those times because of the refinement that came during and after those experiences.

It’s always easier to see the blessing when you’re looking back but hopefully having gone through these experiences I can learn to be better in the future.  These are just a few examples: Being overweight and self conscious about my body in elementary school?  Check.  Never feeling like I was pretty enough for any boy to notice me?  Check.  Feeling like the “Amazon” woman because I hit puberty in 5 grade and all my friends were a foot shorter than me and didn’t need to wear a bra.  Check.  Those were some difficult times and I feel sorry for the little girl who went through them.  But, now I see so much happiness from never facing the challenges of dressing immodestly and feeling ready and prepared to enter the temple and make covenants right when I needed to.  I am so grateful that I was never in a situation where I was taken advantage of or tempted to make some unwise decisions when it came to the opposite sex.  I can tell my husband with full confidence that I kept myself clean. 

What about the times when I was so alone and felt like I had no one to turn to?  Check.  The times when I would sob in my bedroom hoping my roommates wouldn’t hear me for fear of breaking down in front of them?  Check.  What about the time when I moved to Utah, knowing the Lord told me to, but couldn’t fathom why He wanted me to leave when my sister needed me so badly as her world turned upside down?  Check.  All of these examples bring sadness to my heart because I remember with such vividness the torment I experienced but with them came elevation.  The Lord was with me each time; I have no doubt.  There couldn’t possibly be any doubt because I know myself and I could never have made it through those experiences and have such a positive outlook about them without the help of my Savior. 

The Savior never promised us that if we keep the commandments and we try to do what’s right that we will never go through trials; in fact, it was quite the opposite.  A common children’s church song is called “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” and how their homes were affected during a storm.  The wise man had built his house on a rock so it stood still and the foolish man had built his house on the sand and it washed away.  Elder Pino tells us, “It is interesting to notice that the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew against both houses!  Living the gospel does not mean that we will everlastingly escape adversity.  Rather, it means that we will be prepared to face and endure adversity more confidently.” 

I served my mission in Kirtland, Ohio where some of the early church history took place.  The church has even purchased some original buildings where the Savior stood and spoke with his prophet.  How miraculous is that?!  A few of the other buildings on the historical site have been recreated on their original foundations.  One of those buildings is called an Ashery and it became one of my favorite places to visit.  An ashery was a place where ashes (like from a fire) went through levels of cleansing to become products that were more valuable and useful.  First, the ashes were placed in a large wooden funnel with a filter at the bottom.  Water would be poured from the top so that eventually a mixture of water and lye would come out the bottom.  Then the water and lye would be boiled in large caldrons for hours where the water would evaporate and you would be left with a dark rock substance called “pot ash”.  This could be used from many things like fertilizer and such.  If you wanted to take the cleansing process a step further you would place the pot ash in a scorching furnace where all the impurities would be cooked away and you would be left with a beautiful white rock called “pearl ash”.  This rock could be used for making art, glass, and even, medication.  The pearl ash could be sold for more than 200% of the amount paid for the ashes and could be used for some many useful and wonderful purposes.  We are like these ashes.  We may see ourselves as left-over fire ashes worth close to nothing but the Lord knows our potential.  If we allow Him to let us go through experiences like being drenched, or boiled, or baked for hours upon hours we too can become something much more valuable than we were are now or where we started.  These blistering events can cook away our impurities and help us become beautiful and pure.   

 

(An outside view of the Ashery) 

I know that burdens are hard.  I sometimes wish that trials weren’t the perfect way to purify, cleanse, and perfect us; but they are!  Alma promises us in The Book of Mormon, “…whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.”  I know that that promise is true.  I hope that we all can remember – we have to put our trust in Him so that He can give us the strength we need during those dark days.  Be grateful the Lord has allowed you to go through hard things because you can become more perfect through them.  

Further gospel Study: 
Elder Bednar (April 2014) "Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease"  

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/bear-up-their-burdens-with-ease?lang=eng

President Faust (Feb 2006) "Refined in Our Trials"
https://www.lds.org/ensign/2006/02/refined-in-our-trials?lang=eng 

Elder Andersen (Oct 2012) "Trial of Your Faith"
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/trial-of-your-faith?lang=eng

Alma 36: 3

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/36?lang=eng 

2 Corinthians 4 (—Mortal trials are nothing as contrasted with eternal glory)
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/2-cor/4?lang=eng# 

Give diligent heed to words of eternal life

For obvious reasons I decided to study and write about diligence.  There are many excuses I could use to convince you of my inability to post each week but they are garbage.  The fact is this, having a gospel centered blog, is hard and sometimes doing hard things is, well…hard.  But as my amazing husband has told me before, “Sometimes you’ve got to do things you don’t want to do.”  So here I am, in all my humility, writing about my weaknesses.  I get lazy, overwhelmed, selfish, and entitled but every now and again the Spirit humbles me and reminds me what the true purpose is while being on the earth.  All of the superfluous things I stress over aren’t really worth my time.  I want to start now to become more diligent in the important things.  “Diligence is persisting in doing something in spite of opposition" (Olson).

I find myself setting really great goals that are achievable and realistic but after a week or so the excitement and consistency of them begin to fade.  Other times I mess up one day on the goal (like an exercise or scripture reading goal) and I act like I have failed in all things so I drop the goal altogether because “I can’t do it” or “It’s too hard”.  Why do I do this?  No one has ever told me that I had to be perfect everyday; the Lord hasn’t even told me that I would be perfect every day.  This expectation I have set for myself is not true and not helpful.  I will always fall short by myself.

The good news is that I can be perfect through the Savior.  With His help I can pick myself up and try again.  I can diligently seek His help in forgiving, repenting, searching, trying, serving, caring, loving, and keeping His commandments.  He promises that we will find joy and satisfaction in our righteous efforts.  “He who is diligent in keeping the commandments will be blessed unto eternal life” (D&C 18:8). 

Some of you, like me, may find yourselves feeling like you constantly fall short. I promise you that when you make a better effort to be diligent in the gospel, no matter where you are with your testimony, you will begin to recognize the blessings God gives to you, especially the gift of becoming closer to Him.  Start with something small - not small in its significance by any means - like prayer.  A morning conversation with your Heavenly Father can begin a monumental change in your day.  As your prayers become more like a craving than a goal you can begin to add scripture study, going to church, serving, and any other thing you can think of to help you become closer to Christ.  There will be many things that will distract you or cause you to forget but never give up; never stop trying to seek His help and do what's right.  

"Persisting in doing what is right—in spite of opposition—is required of the Lord’s covenant people. However, the Lord promises great blessings to those who are diligent in prayer, in keeping the commandments, in heeding revelation, in searching the scriptures, and in laboring in His work” (Olson).  

Be diligent.  He is waiting with open arms for you.

Further study on diligence:

1. Preach My Gospel states, “Diligence is steady, consistent, earnest, and energetic effort in doing the Lord’s work”. 
2. Lds.org states something similar, “Consistent, valiant effort, especially in serving the Lord and obeying his word”. 
3. Scriptures:
1. God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him: Heb. 11:6;
2. Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue: 2 Pet. 1:5;
3. They had searched the scriptures diligently: Alma 17:2;
4. Let us labor diligently: Moro. 9:6;
5. Be anxiously engaged in a good cause: D&C 58:27;
6. Neither be idle but labor with your might: D&C 75:3;
4. “Islands of Faith: A Story of Diligence” By Adam C. Olson  https://www.lds.org/ensign/2011/07/islands-of-faith-a-story-of-diligence?lang=eng&query=diligence

5. Preach My Gospel – Diligence  https://www.lds.org/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/how-do-i-develop-christlike-attributes?lang=eng