“I
Will Not Fail Thee Nor Forsake Thee”
Hello
Brothers and Sisters,
Going
back to our first parents, Adam and Eve, we have all experienced
adversity. Every day, we turn on the news and somewhere, something
ugly happens.
President
Thomas S Monson, in his October 2013 talk 'I Will Not Fail Thee Nor
Forsake Thee' eloquently says:
“Brothers
and sisters, it may be safely assumed that no person has ever lived
entirely free of suffering and sorrow, nor has there ever been a
period in human history that did not have its full share of turmoil
and misery.”
“ When
the pathway of life takes a cruel turn, there is the temptation to
ask the question “Why me?” At the times there appears to be no
light at the end of the tunnel, no sunrise to end the night's
darkness. We feel encompassed by the disappointment of shattered
dreams and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the
biblical plea, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” We feel abandoned,
heartbroken, alone. We are inclined to view our own personal
misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We become
impatient for a solution to our problems, forgetting that frequently
the heavenly virtue of patience that is required.
Brothers
and sisters ... even when it feels like we are the only ones alone in
our trials, that there is no one to reach out to, there is someone.
There is our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Because
he died on the cross, the Atonement can be used. We know that the
Atonement can be used to repent of our sins, but I think that we
forget that the Atonement is not only for this reason. Christ
suffered for all the pains we would have in this life. To quote
Preach My Gospel “ As we rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, He
can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be filled
with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is unfair about life can
be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”
President
Monson shares in his talk this story about his old seminary teacher
Brother Brems.
In
1968, Brother Brems lost his wife, Sadie. Two of his eight children
also passed away as the years went by.
One
day nearly 13 years ago, Brother Brems’s oldest granddaughter
telephoned me. She explained that her grandfather had reached his
105th birthday. She said, “He lives in a small care center but
meets with his entire family each Sunday, where he delivers a gospel
lesson.” She continued, “This past Sunday, Grandpa announced to
us, ‘My dears, I am going to die this week. Will you please call
Tommy Monson. He will know what to do.’”
I
visited Brother Brems the very next evening. I had not seen him for a
while. I could not speak to him, for he had lost his hearing. I could
not write a message for him to read, because he had lost his sight. I
was told that the family communicated with him by taking the finger
of his right hand and then tracing on the palm of his left hand the
name of the person visiting. Any message had to be conveyed in this
same way. I followed the procedure by taking his finger and spelling
T-O-M-M-Y M-O-N-S-O-N, the name by which he had always known me.
Brother Brems became excited and, taking my hands, placed them on his
head. I knew his desire was to receive a priesthood blessing. The
driver who had taken me to the care center joined me as we placed our
hands on the head of Brother Brems and provided the desired blessing.
Afterward, tears streamed from his sightless eyes. He grasped our
hands in gratitude. Although he had not heard the blessing we had
given him, the Spirit was strong, and I believe he was inspired to
know we had provided the blessing which he needed. This sweet man
could no longer see. He could no longer hear. He was confined night
and day to a small room in a care center. And yet the smile on his
face and the words he spoke touched my heart. “Thank you,” he
said. “My Heavenly Father has been so good to me.”
Within
a week, just as Brother Brems had predicted, he passed away. Never
did he dwell on what he was lacking; rather, he was always deeply
grateful for his many blessings.
In
style of President Monson, I found a sweet little poem about this
topic. Poem: A Lesson in Adversity
Travelling
by bus
those
around me slumbered
yet
sleep eluded me
I
thought how fortunate
my
companions were
oblivious
to the aches and pains
they
missed the pouring rain
I
envied them so -
until
they missed the rainbow
I
have an experience I'd like to share. I used to work at a restaurant
for 10 months, primarily as a hostess. From being a complete newbie
that first had no clue how busy and hectic the restaurant word could
be to feeling more confident in my job and knowing my way around, I
gained a lot of respect from the various people I worked with for
trying to do the I could. There was one night where I felt that all
the respect disappeared from a particular coworker. I was at the end
of my shift, but in preparation for something I forget the details
of, the manager at the time needed us to stay a bit longer and cover
the tables, benches, and everything with a plastic lining. After
everything was done, he offered some alcoholic beverages to the three
of us who helped lining everything. I politely declined. I was asked
why I didn't drink alcohol and I explained that I was a Mormon, and
that we have a Word of Wisdom that we follow. Most times that I've
explained this to people who ask this, they accept this belief. This
one lady however, not so much. From that, she began this rant of how
Mormons were not Christians and that I needed to educate myself. This
hurt. It hurt hard. Not because I felt that she was attacking me, but
she was also attacking this church. Because I was so taken aback, so
unprepared of what to do or say, I simply told her that I had a
testimony I knew this church was true. That's all I knew what to do.
After being rescued from my mother and at home, it took a few hours
to calm myself down. Never before in my life do I feel I'd been
criticized so hard. But this I can tell you. As hard as it was, and
as hurt as I felt, I'm grateful for that moment. It really affirmed
to me the truthfulness in the church. It's prepared me for when there
will be people who reject the gospel on my mission, and who knows
what else it may have prepared me for.
Trials
and adversity are not just there to get through and be over with.
They have a purpose in our lives. Can you think of a trial that you
went through and you were the exact same person as before. My guess
... probably not. I've been through many trials, as everyone has.
They sure were really hard at times, but I've become a stronger
person because of them. President Monson has said that our trials are
there to rebuild ourselves and be bettered by them. Through trials we
can become more understanding, empathetic, and to gain stronger
testimonies.
Adversity
has also taught me to have faith. Faith to trust God and know He has
a purpose for everything, faith to know I can endure ... faith to
know I will feel joy again. Faith to know that I will see that
rainbow. We can think of Job. A righteous man who feared God and had
many riches – money, a lot of property, a wife, children...
something or rather He lost everything. When we read Job 1:
20-21 it says “ Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his
head, and fell down upon the ground and worshipped. 21- And said
naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thee
thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the
name of the Lord.” He receives boils, his friends eventually scorn
him. Such a huge trial towards Job, but nothing shakes the faith and
love that he has for the Lord. Because of all that he endured, the
Lord blesses him and receives not only his former prosperity, but
many more blessings.
We
do not come out of trials the same. I think that strength, alone, is
a blessing that Heavenly Father gives us in going through trials. The
blessings we receive from our trials are not only in our earthly,
mortal states. This life is eternal and He has blessings waiting upon
us in heaven.
Without
pain we cannot know joy.
Through
the example of Job loving the Lord always, it reminds me of something
said by President Monson. “My brothers and sisters, may we make a
commitment to our Heavenly Father that does not ebb and flow with the
years and the crises of our lives. We should not need to experience
difficulties for us to remember him, and we should not be driven to
humility before giving him our faith and trust.
There
is a quote by Jeffrey R Holland that says “Don't give up. Don't you
quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness
ahead. You keep your chin up. It will be alright in the end. Trust
God and believe in good things to come.”
Why
was I chosen to face the trials given to me? I may
have been given them because someone in Veracruz, Mexico specifically
needs me for the particular trials I have faced and through that I
can help them overcome their own. These are various guesses. However,
I don't only have guesses as to why I have been faced with various
trials. I've been faced with them because Heavenly Father knew I
could conquer them and have joy.
I
have been told time and again from returned missionaries that a
mission is the hardest, yet one of the best times for their lives. I
remember one of my uncles saying that because of the trials he had on
his mission, the joys were even greater. I know that I will have many
trials on my mission, but with my faith in the Lord, knowing that He
will always be with me, I know He will help me to overcome them.
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