The world seems to be tilting ever more out of control. From violent drought-ridden areas, indeed the world can be a tempestuous place.
This is why I’m grateful for men such as President James E. Faust, a member of the First Presidency for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He just recently passed away, but he was a strong man, strong in the gospel of Jesus Christ. His valor for that which is right was known by many. His mild ways were balanced with a vigor for truth.
Read this quote of his from nearly nine years ago and ponder on its still-urgent meaning:
“It is my testimony that we are facing difficult times. We must be courageously obedient. My witness is that we will be called upon to prove our spiritual stamina, for the days ahead will be filled with affliction and difficulty. But with the assuring comfort of a personal relationship with God, we will be given a calming courage … we will receive the quiet assurance … “ (Ensign, Jan 1999, p 5).
President Faust referenced several key terms: courage, obedience, stamina, relationship, calm, assurance. Let’s look at each one a bit closer. For after all, if we are to face the future in faith, it would be good to know how we can do it successfully!
COURAGE = the state of mind that helps you face danger or pain
OBEDIENCE = the act of conforming to an expressed standard
STAMINA = power to endure privation or fatigue
RELATIONSHIP = an emotional connection
CALM = free from agitation
ASSURANCE = freedom from timidity
Thus, as we ponder President Faust’s thoughtful statement, he seems to express great desires that we as God’s children will have the state of mind to face difficulty and still be obedient. To do this will require a stamina (that in my mind) will only be sufficient if it is based upon God’s ways.
As we incorporate this spiritual stamina (that the Lord stands ever ready to bestow), we in the process will grow in an emotional connection to our God. We will find calm amidst the storms of life and an assurance that He indeed can be trusted.
I’m grateful for President Faust’s statement. One need only be tapped into the economic alerts that come ever more shrill, or be privy to the pending crisis in the housing market, to understand that we live in difficult days. There also is much filth available in the media, from ever more violent and pornographic video games to even more seamy movies and internet sites. Our world seems on a fast pace to self-ruin.
But in it all, the Lord gives us His prophets and leaders to guide us safely home. So one of the best forms of spiritual preparedness we can incorporate into our lives is simply to heed their words and live the teachings of Christ they share.
