When given the topic of selecting a talk from conference, but make the topic my own, I thought I had the perfect idea in mind. While thinking on it and even making sure it was the right one while going through the Conference Issue then when I went over a different talk, the Spirit hit me and I decided to go with something else. The last few talks I’ve given, I’ve noticed that days or the week right before giving it that I seem to live the topic, so I felt impressed to change my original one to this one instead. My talk is based from Elder James B. Martino’s talk “All Things Work Together for Good”.
Towards the end of the year 1838, the Saints were in Missouri and persecution between the Saints and those against the church was reaching its breaking point. Constant threats and many false accusations landed the Prophet Joseph Smith and a few others in Liberty Jail, a prison that even criminals would find demeaning. Its hard to imagine a man like the prophet of God thrown in a dark, dank cell and spend a brutal Missouri winter in it. During this hard time, even he cried out “O God, where art thou?” and to wonder how long it would be til the end of their suffering.
Sometimes in life, we find ourselves wondering the same thing after enduring hardships if God is there and how long we’ll go through it. Whether it be struggling in finding employment, difficulties in our schooling, or a promising relationship ends, everyone has and will go through some kind of hardship. The lesson to learn, however, is to know and believe that things will always get better and the hard times we go through are actually for our good. The Lord has said, “Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days.” (D&C 24:8) So what are some things we can do to overcome such despair at first and see the light that is at the end of the tunnel?
1.) We must go and do, not “sit and stew”: What is the first thing that comes to mind when going through trials? Its complaining and murmuring. It’s natural and it lets us vent off some steam. But if we sit on our hands and complain and give up, what does that accomplish in the long run? We all know the story of Nephi and his family traveling to a new land and how much Laman and Lemuel complained and murmured the entire time…but they still went through with everything that happened. They problem was, of course, they complained about all their trials. In D&C 121, the Lord said to endure things “well”, which they did not obviously do. They endured…just not well. In our trials, we should try to serve others and help others be happy. By doing that, we change our mindset to “why me?” to “how about them?”. We cant sit and stew about our problems, but go and make the best of them to help others.
2.) Take it as a teaching experience and lean to “come what may, and love it”: I loved Elder Wirthlin’s last talk that he gave that had that wonderful message about looking for humor, eternal perspective, and trusting in the Lord during our trials to help get through them. He said, “I know why there must be opposition in all things. Adversity, if handled correctly, can be a blessing in our lives. We can learn to love it.” (Ensign, November 2008) Just as the Prophet Joseph Smith was in Liberty Jail, the Lord comforted him by saying, “And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good…for God shall be with you forever and ever.” (D&C 122: 7, 9) Trials can be our best teachers, whether we enjoy them or not. They teach us to appreciate the things we’ve been blessed with and help us know that there are always better things to come.
3.) Draw closer to God: Although trials shouldn’t force us to seek the Lord as a last resort for comfort, during these humbling and difficult, there can be great opportunities to grow spiritually. Prayer, scripture study, fasting, and also attending the temple can be amazing refuges. It’s a time when we can come closer to understanding God’s plan and timing for us individually. Through the pain, comfort can begin to swell in us.
While going through a very difficult time in his life, C.S. Lewis struggled with his faith while watching his wife of many years dying of cancer. Through his grief, he learned a very valuable lesson which I feel applies to all of us. ---“[So God is, then, something like a divine physician.] A cruel man might be bribed--might grow tired of his vile sport--might have a temporary fit of mercy, as alcoholics have [temporary] fits of sobriety. But suppose that what you are up against is a [wonderfully skilled] surgeon whose intentions are [solely and absolutely] good. [Then], the kinder and more conscientious he is, [the more he cares about you,] the more inexorably he will go on cutting [in spite of the suffering it may cause. And] if he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. . . . [pp. 4950] [So I am, you see, one] of God's patients, not yet cured. I know there are not only tears [yet] to be dried but stains [yet] to be scoured. [My] sword will be made even brighter. [p. 49] [C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed (New York: Seabury Press, Inc., 1961)
Brothers and Sisters, I testify that God lives and that He loves us and that indeed “All things work together for good.” Good does triumph. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen
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