ENDURANCE/TRIALS QUOTES

There is a glorious homecoming prepared for us. We will then see fulfilled the promise of the Lord we have loved. It is He who welcomes us into eternal life with Him and our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ described it this way:  “Seek to bring forth and establish my Zion. Keep my commandments in all things.  “And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.” Elder Henry B. Eyring, Come unto Me, April 2013 General Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/come-unto-me?lang=eng

We all long for peace…. Peace comes from knowing that the Savior knows who we are and knows that we have faith in Him, love Him, and keep His commandments, even and especially amid life’s devastating trials and tragedies. The Lord’s answer to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail brings solace to the heart:  “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.  Elder Quentin L. Cook, Personal Peace: The Reward of Righteousness, April 2013 General Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/personal-peace-the-reward-of-righteousness?lang=eng

The first obstacle of endurance, “the cares of the world,” is essentially pride.  Pride rears its ugly head in so many ways that are destructive. For example, intellectual pride is very prevalent in our day. Some people exalt themselves above God and His anointed servants because of their learning and scholarly achievements. We must never allow our intellect to take priority over our spirit. Our intellect can feed our spirit and our spirit can feed our intellect, but if we allow our intellect to take precedence over our spirit, we will stumble, find fault, and may even lose our testimonies. Joseph B. Wirthlin, Press On, October 2004 General Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/10/press-on?lang=eng

The Book of Mormon prophet Nephi taught: “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.” Joseph B. Wirthlin, Press On, October 2004 General Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/10/press-on?lang=eng

How do you remain “steadfast and immovable” during a trial of faith? You immerse yourself in the very things that helped build your core of faith: you exercise faith in Christ, you pray, you ponder the scriptures, you repent, you keep the commandments, and you serve others. Neil L. Andersen, Trial of Your Faith, October 2012 General  Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/trial-of-your-faith?lang=eng

By definition, trials will be trying. There may be anguish, confusion, sleepless nights, and pillows wet with tears. But our trials need not be spiritually fatal. They need not take us from our covenants or from the household of God.  “Remember, … it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” Neil L. Andersen, Trial of Your Faith, October 2012 General  Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/trial-of-your-faith?lang=eng

But faith forged in the furnace of trials and tears is marked by trust and testimony. Only God can count the sacrifice; only God can measure the sorrow; only God can know the hearts of those who serve Him—then and now. Thomas S. Monson, Tears, Trials, Trust, Testimony, April 1987 General Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1987/04/tears-trials-trust-testimony?lang=eng

We know from the scriptures that some trials are for our good and are suited for our own personal development.  We also know that the rain falls on the just and the unjust.   It is also true that every cloud we see doesn’t result in rain. Regardless of the challenges, trials, and hardships we endure, the reassuring doctrine of the Atonement wrought by Jesus Christ includes Alma’s teaching that the Savior would take upon Him our infirmities and “succor his people according to their infirmities.” Quentin L. Cook, Hope Ya Know, We had a Hard Time, October 2008 General Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/hope-ya-know-we-had-a-hard-time?lang=eng

Each of us will face trials and tests, and as in this simplistic example, it is how we react to those difficulties that will determine our success and happiness. Each of us will face adversity no matter where we are. We are taught in the scriptures that there “must needs be … an opposition in all things.” 1 We will each face times of difficulty, and the question is not when we will face them but how we face them. James B. Martino, All Things Work Together for Good, April 2010 General Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/all-things-work-together-for-good?lang=eng

Now, I realize that it is much easier to look back when a trial is over and see what we have learned from our experience, but the challenge is to gain that eternal perspective while we are going through our tests. To some, our trials may not seem great, but to each of us who are passing through these experiences, the trials are real and require us to humble ourselves before God and learn from Him.  James B. Martino, All Things Work Together for Good, April 2010 General Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/all-things-work-together-for-good?lang=eng