This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday morning session of the April 2010 conference.
A few weeks ago I gave a talk comparing our mortal journey toward the Celestial Kingdom to past "pioneer" journeys such as Moses and the children of Israel, Lehi and his family, and westward expansion pioneers including the famous Mormon Pioneers.
No analogy is perfect, but I can testify that whatever challenge we face we must keep pressing forward. We cannot sit down and wait until we aren't facing any challenges. Life doesn't work that way. We have to keep going to reach our Promised Land. We must endure faithfully and obediently to the end. (From my talk, 25 May 2025)
This past week has tested my resolve! The clutch on my car burned out. The tender mercy was that it happened just as I rolled into the Walmart parking lot a couple of blocks from the dealership. I got the car towed to the service department and they accepted it but they couldn't even look at it until a week later. The tender mercy was that they had a loaner I could use. On the same day, my husband fell down the stairs at the house he's working on in Iowa, twisting his ankle and getting banged up. That put a hold on the furniture moving we had planned for the weekend. Then on Saturday night in the midst of a heat wave with day time temps in the high 90's the air conditioning stopped working. I melted into a puddle on Sunday, but the tender mercy was that on Monday the temperature moderated and a lovely breeze blew all the hot air out of the house. Tuesday, as I type this, it's even cooler with a stronger breeze. Thankfully, we have ceiling fans in all the rooms.
All of this combined to discourage me and I've cried lots of tears. I won't go into all the other problems I'm facing just now. But it's overwhelming.
I appreciated Elder Wilford. W. Andersen's talk The Rock of Our Redeemer. He described the early saints as they were forced out of the homes in Nauvoo in the depths of winter.
These early Saints were indeed homeless, but they were not hopeless. Their hearts were broken, but their spirits were strong. They had learned a profound and important lesson. They had learned that hope, with its attendant blessings of peace and joy, does not depend upon circumstance. They had discovered that the true source of hope is faith--faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in His infinite Atonement, the one sure foundation upon which to build our lives.
Yes, I have learned to rely on my Savior too. I can't see the future, but I have assurances that it will all work out. "I do not ask to see the distant scene--one step enough for me."(Hymn 97 Lead Kindly Light)
Like the pioneers of old, I can't sit by waiting for things to happen. I have to keep moving forward, doing what I can and having faith that the next step will be revealed to me.
Faith in the Savior requires more than mere belief. The Apostle James taught that even the devils believe and tremble (James 2:9). But true faith requires work. The difference between the devils and the faithful members of this Church is not belief but work. Faith grows by keeping commandments. We must work at keeping the commandments.
The commandment I'm currently working on has to do with praying with more faith and fervor. I struggle to reconcile my desire to ask for things, and my hesitancy to "whine and beg". While raising our children I would tell them not to whine and beg for things. I heard them the first time and when the time was right, if the request was reasonable, I would provide. If I said no, then I really didn't want to hear any whining and begging. I don't know if Heavenly Father feels the same way. Or am I supposed to keep pleading until He gives in? I don't want to be like Martin Harris. It's a question that I haven't found an answer to.
I do know that it is my Savior, Redeemer and Friend who is my Rock; the one I cling to when the storms are fierce around me. He is the One I turn to for succor and relief when the trials are overwhelming. He is my comfort when tears spill down without ceasing. He is who I have build the foundation of my life on. He is the only one who has never let me down, or frustrated or disappointed me. I love Him with all my heart and soul and mind and strength.
