Adversity is the refiner’s fire that bends iron but tempers steel. (President James E. Faust, Ensign February 1988, "The Blessings of Adversity")

These past several weeks have been very challenging ones for our family. For awhile, it felt as if we came through one trial, only to be thrown into the midst of another. The latest and the most devastating to date was the sudden and unexpected death of a dear brother-in-law just two weeks ago.

My brother-in-law was only in his late thirties when he died, still so young and so full of life. My sister and brother-in-law have only been married for four short years. They used to joke that it took them a long to find each other. Like many of us, they were very much in love and looking forward to spending their lives together.

It is understandable that my sister is devastated and is struggling to be strong. She's been dealt a blow that only those who've felt the sting of such a great loss can understand. She is grieving so deeply it is painful for us to witness it because we all feel so helpless.

There are two things that give my sister the strength to get up every day.

First, she has immense faith in our Lord and Savior. She understands His plan of Salvation. She knows that one day she will be reunited with her "eternal flame" (as they referred to each other) for they are bound together for time and eternity.

Second, she has an incredible army of friends and loved ones that have rallied around her. She's felt the comforting arms of friends and family reaching out to her from around the world. It's quite an incredible and uplifting experience to see just how caring and wonderful her friends are towards her. Some of the most touching expressions of love and support came from people she taught and baptized when she served a full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over 16 years ago.

Reflecting on this experience, I'm reminded of the prophet Alma's words to his people when he taught them what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ.

And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life— (Mosiah 18:8-9).

Death and dying is part of the cycle of life. We all know and understand this. However, knowing and understanding doesn't make the passing of a loved one any easier or any less painful. For most of us, the separation that comes with death, will be one of the greatest adversities we'll have to face in this life.

How fortunate we are that when such times come, we have true disciples of Christ all around us who will run to our side to help bear our burdens so that we don't have to carry them alone. How lucky we are that when those times come, we have friends and loved ones who will mourn with us, who will comfort us in our time of need.

As her older sister, I'm so grateful to know that my sister is surrounded by loving friends. I'm grateful that my sister is the strong daughter of God that she is. I know that this experience, as devastating as it is, may bend her for a time, but it will not break her.

I'm thankful that we have the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Knowing that families are forever, that her marriage is eternal, is a great blessing and comfort to my sister today and in the many days ahead.

A week or so ago I was able to attend a fireside given by Merrill Osmond. In it, he said something that really stilled the room, for me, and sunk deeply into my heart: Where there is ego, you will never find the Lord.

Pride is one of the seven deadly sins and all of us have heard since we were old enough to understand: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

I am one of those people who craves the presence of God in my life. Everything I do and everything I am is toward that end, returning to my heavenly home. When Merrill said this: Where there is ego, you will never find the Lord, it shook my heart.

Certainly, all of us know that pride can kill love, hope, dreams . . . basically all that is good in life. Pride keeps us from:

• asking for help from another,
• truly loving another,
• truly worshiping our Savior and Heavenly Father as they deserve to be worshiped, or
• being humble enough to be taught

The Lord needs us to be confident and secure in our abilities. But, when we cease to rely on our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ that is when we cross the line from confidence to arrogance, from humility to pride and therein the guaranteed, eventual fall.

In the Book of Mormon, Alma 32, we find one of the greatest treatise on the Gospel and humility.

Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe.(Alma 32:19)

The entire chapter is a veritable treasure of plain Gospel principles, but in this instance, "blessed are they who humble themselves" is the key to what we are speaking about today.

Indeed humility is the state of being which allow us to be teachable while be guided by the Spirit of God. Humility produces the greatest of the human family. And so my friends, I ask that you shed your egos and your pride and welcome into your heart our Lord and Savior who loves you and will guide you through mortality, if you will only let Him.

Believe me, I have no desire to traverse mortality without heavenly guidance. Humility, my friends, is the key to returning to our heavenly home. And so, to quote myself from another site:

Every day, morning and night at a minimum, I shall remember to thank my Father in Heaven for the countless blessings showered upon us. For the gifts and talents He granted me I will express my gratitude and ask for continual guidance. I will remember that I am here in this life at the behest and blessings of a loving and eternal God. I have one overriding job . . . to bring as many of the sons and daughters of God back with me as I possibly can.

To this end I stand as a witness of Jesus Christ in all things, in all places and in all times. When asked, if it is within my power, I speak at all firesides, youth conferences, womens conferences and more, sharing the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation which He came to fulfill. For where I am, I am determined to find the Lord. (Candace E. Salima, Where There is Ego, Dream a little dream . . .)

July 24th is celebrated by the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as “Pioneer Day”. It is a day we honor those who were the first members of the LDS Church in this time period. These were the people who felt the Spirit and were willing to step outside of their comfort zone to follow the whisperings of their heart about a vision given to a young farm boy and an additional book of scripture. They joined the church in its youngest phases and though their blessings were numerous, so were the challenges they faced.

For some of us it's easier to declare your religious affiliations than it is for others. There are still many people who don't want their friends and family to experience the freedom of choosing a religion that is different than their own or simply unfamiliar to them.

This is the problem many of the early church members faced, except often to the furthest extremes such things can be taken. Eventually, many set forth on a new quest for someplace to call their own. They wanted someplace to build up their faith in God while avoiding conflict with their fellow man. Like many of that time, their desire for someplace different, and hopefully better, lead them to journey across an American continent that was wild and, at times, unfriendly as well. Not all of them chose the best times, supplies or circumstances to travel in, making the journey all that more difficult. Even those who the best prepared would not find the journey easy. Many would not even make it.

I think of the many days I fall into bed exhausted from my meager labors and wonder if my spirit and stamina would have allowed me to follow my new faith across the continent. My soul and confidence shrink away in wimpy fear of such thoughts. There is something I have learned from pondering these events, however. I learned that just as God knows and watches over each of us in today's world, He knew and watched over each person who set his feet on a Westward track. He knew their weaknesses and strengths. He knew what they were capable of better than they. He never gave them more than they were able to handle.

I am amazed at how much they were able to handle under God's watchful hand. I wonder what I have allowed my own weaknesses to let me shrink away from that seem too difficult when the Lord needed me to reach the other side of to reach a greater state of peace. Sometimes I simply fear the journey.

There is something else I've learned. It's not really that these men and women were looking for the types of trials they would face; they were simply looking to follow God's will for them. That, I think, is a whole different matter. That, I would hope, my spirit would not shrink from. Yes, the journey was difficult. But that isn’t really the point sometimes. Mostly the pioneers were just doing what they had to for two reasons- to survive and to serve God.

In that way, I think many of us are still pioneers. We go and do things every day that serve these two purposes. Maybe not as distinctly but our main focuses are often, “What do I and my family need to meet our basic needs?” and second, “what does God need me to do today?”

Where can those two questions take us? Often outside of our comfort zone. We make sacrifices to help, protect, and serve those we love. Sometimes we make even greater sacrifices to follow Jesus Christ. Many can not find time in their busy modern lives for God. The disciple makes time for Him first. We often find our feet walking paths that we would not choose for ourselves. We are often tried and tested beyond what we think we can bare. We are each doing the best we can with the knowledge and love for God given to us. We open those same paths for those around us.

This pioneer day, think about the ways you bring God into your life every day. Think about the things you do in His name. What part of your own spirit follows the example of those who have gone before you? What part of your own family history represents a milestone that allows you to enjoy more of the life you have today? Pioneer day is for all of us. It's about sacrifices and actively following Christ, no matter where the path leads.