First Counselor in the First Presidency
When
I was a young man, I served in the Church as a counselor to a wise district
president. He was constantly trying to teach me. I remember the advice he once
gave to me: “When you meet someone, treat them as if they were in serious
trouble, and you will be right more than half the time.” I thought then that he
was pessimistic. Now, more than 50 years later, I can see how well he
understood the world and life.
We
all have trials to face—at times, very difficult trials. We know that the Lord
allows us to go through trials in order for us to be polished and perfected so
we can be with Him forever.
The Lord taught
the Prophet Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail
that the reward for enduring his trials well would help qualify him for eternal
life: “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions
shall be but a small moment;
“And then, if
thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all
thy foes” (D&C 121:7–8).
So many things
beat upon us in a lifetime that it may seem hard to endure well. It can seem
that way to a family depending on crops when
there is no rain. They may wonder, “How long can we hold on?” It can seem that
way to a youth faced with resisting the rising flood of filth and temptation.
It can seem that way to a young man struggling to get the education or training
he needs for a job to support a wife and family. It can seem that way to a
person who can’t find a job or who has lost job after job as businesses close
their doors. It can seem that way to those faced with the erosion of health and
physical strength, which may come early or late in life for them or for those
they love.
But a loving God
has not set such tests before us simply to see if we can endure difficulty but
rather to see if we can endure them well and so become polished.
The First
Presidency taught Elder Parley P. Pratt (1807–57) when he was a newly
called member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “You have enlisted in a
cause that requires your whole attention; … become a polished
shaft. … You must endure much toil, much labor, and many privations to
become perfectly polished. … Your Heavenly Father requires it; the field
is His; the work is His; and He will … cheer you … and buoy you up.”1
In the book of
Hebrews, Paul speaks of the fruit of enduring well: “Now no chastening for the
present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth
the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:11).
Our trials and
our difficulties give us the opportunity to learn and grow, and they may even
change our very nature. If we can turn to the Savior in our extremity, our
souls can be polished as we endure.
Therefore, the
first thing to remember is to pray always (see D&C 10:5; Alma 34:19–29).
The second thing
is to strive continuously to keep the commandments—whatever the opposition, the
temptation, or the tumult around us (see Mosiah 4:30).
In the Master’s
service, we come to know and love Him. We will, if we persevere in prayer and
faithful service, begin to recognize the hand of the Savior and the influence of
the Holy Ghost in our life. Many
of us have for a period given such service and felt that companionship. If you
think back on that time, you will remember that there were changes in you. The
temptation to do evil seemed to lessen. The desire to do good increased. Those
who knew you best and loved you may have said: “You have become kinder and more
patient. You don’t seem to be the same person.”
You weren’t the
same person. You were changed through the Atonement of Jesus
Christ because you relied on Him in the time of your trial.
I promise you
that the Lord will come to your aid in your trials if you seek and serve Him
and that your soul will be polished in the process. I challenge you to put your
trust in Him in all your adversities.
I know that God
the Father lives and that He hears and answers our every
prayer. I know that His Son, Jesus Christ, paid the price of all of our sins
and that He wants us to come to Him. I know that the Father and the Son watch
over us and have prepared a way for us to endure well and to come home again.
Teaching from This Message
We
all have challenges that test our faith and ability to endure. Consider the
needs and challenges of those you teach. Before visiting, you could pray for
guidance to know how to better help them endure well. You might consider
discussing both the principles and the scriptures President Eyring mentions,
including prayer, service, and keeping the commandments. You might also share
personal experiences of how you have been blessed in ways that have helped you
endure well.
Youth When My Friend Died By Samantha Linton
The
author lives in Utah, USA.
During
my junior year in high school, my friend had a brain aneurism and passed away
the next day. Although I was a member of the Church, I still struggled. I had
been taught my entire life that I could turn to Heavenly Father and the Savior
for anything, but I never had to go through something like this before.
I
cried for hours, trying to find something—anything—to give me peace. The night
after her passing, I turned to the hymnbook. As I flipped through the pages, I
landed on “Abide with Me; ’Tis Eventide” (Hymns, no. 165). The
third verse stuck out to me:
Abide with
me; ’tis eventide,
And lone
will be the night
If I
cannot commune with thee,
Nor find
in thee my light.
The
darkness of the world, I fear,
Would in
my home abide.
O Savior,
stay this night with me;
Behold,
’tis eventide.
This
verse filled me with so much peace. I knew then that not only could the Savior
stay that night with me but that He also knew exactly how I was feeling. I know
that the love I felt through the hymn not only got me through that night but
has also gotten me through many other trials I’ve endured.
You
can download “Abide with Me; ’Tis Eventide” at lds.org/go/7176.
Children Focus on Jesus
(click to view larger)
When
we focus on Jesus, He can help us handle the hard things in life. Loving
others, keeping the commandments, and praying to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus
Christ are all ways to focus on Jesus.
Draw pictures in
the blank squares so that each row and each column has a picture for love,
prayer, and commandments.
Note
1. Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, ed.
Parley P. Pratt Jr. (1979), 120.
“To
Endure Well”
cji
7/1/17
Without
murmur or complaint
welcoming
the fiery trials
seeking
refining and purification
moving
always toward light
being
found worthy always
obedience
in covenants
to
endure well till the end
knowing
the Savior personally
thus
knowing his Father
finding
Zion’s road easy
finding
Zion’s road easy!
Copyright © 2017 – cji
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