The Strength to Endure
by Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Seventy
WHAT?
Many of the challenges we face in life can be solved and overcome; however, others may be difficult to understand and impossible to overcome and will be with us until we pass on to the next life.
The prophet Nephi teaches us that . . . we must “press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, [and then] behold, thus saith the Father: [We] shall have eternal life.” (2 Nephi 31)
Our ability to endure to the end in righteousness will be in direct proportion to the strength of our testimony and the depth of our conversion.
As an anonymous author once said, “You must become the rock the river cannot wash away.”
Because we face challenges every day, it is important that we work on our spiritual stamina every day.
The race that is set before us on this earth is an endurance race filled with obstacles. . . . We need to get into spiritual shape. We need to develop spiritual stamina. We need strong testimonies that will lead to true conversion, and as a result we will find within ourselves the inner peace and strength needed to endure whatever challenges we may face.
So whatever challenges you wake up to each morning, remember—with the spiritual strength you develop, coupled with the Lord’s help, at the end of the race you will be able to enjoy the confidence that the Apostle Paul expressed when he said:
“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day." (2 Timothy 4: 6-8)
SO WHAT?
I wake up to challenges the minute I open my eyes each morning. What they will be is usually not determined by me. How they turn out can be, in part, determined by how I respond to them.
I am grateful that my life has not been an easy one. I have seen what happens in others when someone consistently rescues them so that they don't have to develop any stamina, emotionally or spiritually. I would not want to live five minutes in a life like that.
When I was younger, I went through years of trials where I felt as if I had the weight of the world on my shoulder, lead weights shackled to my feet, a hurricane-force wind in my face, and a rain cloud over my head. But I was alone with 4 children to raise, so I moved forward, one labored step at a time. That spiritual and emotional weight training has given me strong shoulders, determined feet, and spiritual and emotional stamina. So when I wake up each morning, I am equal to the task.
How did I keep putting one foot ahead of the other? I prayed constantly. I read scripture. I wrote in a journal. I attended church services every week. I consistently kept God's commandments and, when I fell short, I repented. I shared my feelings with a dear, dear friend who is a spiritually strong Christian. I leaned upon the atonement of Jesus Christ and tried every day to walk with Him as His disciple.
NOW WHAT?I have the tools. I have the strength. I have the stamina. I will picture the rock the river cannot wash away and move forward until I can say with Paul "I have finished my course: I have kept the faith."
Text copyright October 2013, Gebara Education
Pictures:
Rock from www.flickr.com
Lion from Facebook
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