Today I had the chance to teach a lesson at church based from this Conference talk, which is all about how we can take upon ourselves the name of Christ. All week long as I was thinking about and preparing for this lesson, I was really struggling with how to teach one particular section of this talk, which is all about how in order to really and truly take upon ourselves the name of Christ, we have to trust Him.
I was grappling with this so much that I ended up listening to this talk every single day this week while I was driving to work. Each time I listened to it, I become a bit more frustrated that I just couldn't a) figure out why this part of this topic was challenging me so much and b) how to break through my mental block. On the fourth day in a row of listening to this talk, it finally hit me. I realized that there are times in our lives when it is easy to trust the Savior, but that was not meant to be my focus. My focus needed to be on how we trust the Savior at the times in our lives when it is hard to trust Him.
After I came to this realization, I started thinking about the myriad of trials that individuals go through. These trials are all different in scope and nature, there are a few things that almost all trials have in common. Oftentimes, we do know and have faith that things will get better in time. We just don't always know when, we don't always know how, and we don't always know why we have to pass through the trials that we do. The Savior knows the answers to all of these questions, and He passed through each of our trials first. So who better to trust in a difficult and trying time than the only one who perfectly and completely understands what we are enduring in a personal and completely individual way that no one else can?
After figuring out the WHY, I next had to tackle the HOW. A lot of times when we are going through a trial, we hear the phrase, "there is light at the end of the tunnel." It's great to have that positive outlook that there is light at the end of the tunnel, but what about those moments when we are enveloped with darkness and we can't see the light at the end of the tunnel? The thing is, in this analogy I think so often we put the Savior as the light at the end of the tunnel, cheering us on and waiting for us there. In reality though, when we are seeking Him out and doing everything we can, isn't he right there in that darkened tunnel beside us, guiding us to the light at the end? We all have those moments when, metaphorically speaking, we want to sit down on the ground inside of the tunnel, put our head in our hands, and give in, give up, and just let the darkness win. I can picture the Savior literally and figuratively picking each of us up of the ground, and asking "do you trust me? Let's keep walking together."
Life is beautiful, but life is also really, really hard at times. When life is really, really hard and uncertain, it can be difficult to know where to put our trust. I know that if we are willing to trust the Savior that he will walk right by our sides and get us to the light at the end of the tunnel. It may take weeks, months, years, or even a lifetime but if we trust Him with all of our hearts, He will walk with us through the darkness, and celebrate with us when the end does come!
I was grappling with this so much that I ended up listening to this talk every single day this week while I was driving to work. Each time I listened to it, I become a bit more frustrated that I just couldn't a) figure out why this part of this topic was challenging me so much and b) how to break through my mental block. On the fourth day in a row of listening to this talk, it finally hit me. I realized that there are times in our lives when it is easy to trust the Savior, but that was not meant to be my focus. My focus needed to be on how we trust the Savior at the times in our lives when it is hard to trust Him.
After I came to this realization, I started thinking about the myriad of trials that individuals go through. These trials are all different in scope and nature, there are a few things that almost all trials have in common. Oftentimes, we do know and have faith that things will get better in time. We just don't always know when, we don't always know how, and we don't always know why we have to pass through the trials that we do. The Savior knows the answers to all of these questions, and He passed through each of our trials first. So who better to trust in a difficult and trying time than the only one who perfectly and completely understands what we are enduring in a personal and completely individual way that no one else can?
After figuring out the WHY, I next had to tackle the HOW. A lot of times when we are going through a trial, we hear the phrase, "there is light at the end of the tunnel." It's great to have that positive outlook that there is light at the end of the tunnel, but what about those moments when we are enveloped with darkness and we can't see the light at the end of the tunnel? The thing is, in this analogy I think so often we put the Savior as the light at the end of the tunnel, cheering us on and waiting for us there. In reality though, when we are seeking Him out and doing everything we can, isn't he right there in that darkened tunnel beside us, guiding us to the light at the end? We all have those moments when, metaphorically speaking, we want to sit down on the ground inside of the tunnel, put our head in our hands, and give in, give up, and just let the darkness win. I can picture the Savior literally and figuratively picking each of us up of the ground, and asking "do you trust me? Let's keep walking together."
Life is beautiful, but life is also really, really hard at times. When life is really, really hard and uncertain, it can be difficult to know where to put our trust. I know that if we are willing to trust the Savior that he will walk right by our sides and get us to the light at the end of the tunnel. It may take weeks, months, years, or even a lifetime but if we trust Him with all of our hearts, He will walk with us through the darkness, and celebrate with us when the end does come!
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