Adversity, Afflictions, Infirmities, Temptations, Trials,
and Change
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[14] The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your
peace.
[15] And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest
thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel,
that they go forward:
[16] But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine
hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry
ground through the midst of the sea.
[17] And I, behold, I will harden
the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his
chariots, and upon his horsemen.
[18] And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his
horsemen.
[19] And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and
went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face,
and stood behind them:
[20] And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the
camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by
night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
[21] And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the
sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry
land, and the waters were divided.
[22] And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry
ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on
their left.
[23] And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to
the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his
horsemen.
[24] And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the
host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and
troubled the host of the Egyptians,
[25] And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave
them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of
Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the
Egyptians.
[26] And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again
upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.
[27] And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to
his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it;
and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
[28] And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and
all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not
so much as one of them.
[29] But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in
the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right
hand, and on their left.
[30] Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians;
and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
[31] And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians:
and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.
Exodus 14
When the Lord closes one door, he opens another. The Lord
closed the Red Sea partly to drown Pharoah's army
but also to let the children of Israel know that they could not return to
Egypt, even though some of them wanted to.
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Samuel anointed David to be king (1 Samuel 16).
David slew Goliath (1 Samuel 17).
David would have only been a shepherd boy if had not been
for Goliath.
David became very popular as a result of his battlefield
victories against the Philistines. The women of Israel sang, " Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of
thousands." King Saul became very jealous of David (1 Samuel 18:7-8).
David played the harp for King Saul. He did this to calm
Saul who was tormented by an evil spirit. One day, as David was playing, Saul
tried twice to kill him with a javelin. David escaped each time. (1 Samuel
18:10-11).
King Saul gave his daughter Michal to be David's wife (1
Samuel 18:20-21).
Jonathan is Saul's son. Jonathan warns David that Saul
plans to kill him. Saul tried a third time to slay David with a javelin (1
Samuel 19:9-10).
David then fled into the wilderness. He gathered a band of
followers and became the champion of the oppressed while evading the pursuit
of Saul.
Saul and Jonathan were killed in the battle with the
Philistines.
David was then anointed king over Judah at Hebron.
We may also have javelins thrust at us. We may also need
to flee into the wilderness. But God uses this adversity to prepares for greater experiences and opportunities.
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Psalms 23
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[1] The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
[2] He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
[3] He restoreth my soul: he leadeth
me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
[4] Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me.
[5] Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head
with oil; my cup runneth over.
[6] Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and
I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
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Job 23
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[10] But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
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Isaiah 48
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[10] Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
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Jesus sent his disciples forth upon the Sea of Galilee
even though he knew ahead of time that a storm would arise. Jesus then came
unto his disciples in the midst of the storm.
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Matthew 14
[21] And they that had eaten were about five thousand
men, beside women and children.
[22] And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship,
and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes
away.
[23] And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain
apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
[24] But the ship was now in the midst of the sea,
tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
[25] And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on
the sea.
[26] And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled,
saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for
fear.
[27] But straightway Jesus spake
unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be
not afraid.
[28] And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou,
bid me come unto thee on the water.
[29] And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he
walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
[30] But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid;
and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
[31] And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and
said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
[32] And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
[33] Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped
him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
[34] And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.
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I delight in the Lord's mercies and miracles (see “Bless
Our Fast, We Pray,” Hymns, no. 138). I know that His tender
mercies and His miracles, large and small, are real. They come in His way and
on His time table. Sometimes it is not until we have reached our extremity. Jesus’s disciples on the Sea of Galilee had to toil in
rowing against a contrary wind all through the night before Jesus finally
came to their aid. He did not come until the “fourth watch,” meaning near
dawn. Yet He did come. (See Mark
6:45–51.) My testimony is that miracles do come, though sometimes not
until the fourth watch.
Susan W. Tanner - April 2008 Conference
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Jesus teaches
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Luke 14
[27] And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come
after me, cannot be my disciple.
The acceptance of the call to be a disciple demands
readiness to accept persecution and suffering.
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Adversity is not necessarily the result of sin.
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John 9
[1] And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind
from his birth.
[2] And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or
his parents, that he was born blind?
[3] Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned,
nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
[4] I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night
cometh, when no man can work.
[5] As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
[6] When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the
spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
[7] And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by
interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came
seeing.
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Jesus taught
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John 16
[33] These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye
might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good
cheer; I have overcome the world.
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Paul describes the effects of his trials.
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2 Corinthians 4
[8] We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed;
we are perplexed, but not in despair;
[17] For our light affliction, which is but for a
moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory;
[18] While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things
which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the
things which are not seen are eternal.
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Paul further describes his trials.
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2 Corinthians 11
[25] Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned,
thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
[26] In journeyings often, in perils of waters,
in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the
heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in
the sea, in perils among false brethren;
[27] In weariness and painfulness, in watchings
often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often,
in cold and nakedness.
[28] Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily,
the care of all the churches.
[30] If I must needs glory, I
will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.
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Paul teaches that "for when I am weak, then am I
strong."
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2 Corinthians 12
[7] And lest I should be exalted above measure through
the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the
flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above
measure.
[8] For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that
it might depart from me.
[9] And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient
for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly
therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ
may rest upon me.
[10] Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I
am weak, then am I strong.
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Romans 5
[1] Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
[2] By whom also we have access by faith into this grace
wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
[3] And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:
knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
[4] And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
[5] And hope maketh not
ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Ghost which is given unto us.
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Romans 8
[28] Never forget that all things work together for good
to them who love God.
[31] What shall we then say to these things? If God be
for us, who can be against us?
[37] Nay, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us.
[38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
[39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Also read the story of Paul and Silas praying while in
prison: Prayer
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James teaches
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James 1
[2] My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into
divers temptations;
[3] Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh
patience.
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Afflictions can be substituted for temptations, according
to Joseph Smith.
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James teaches about patience
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James 5
[7] Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of
the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the
precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he
receive the early and latter rain.
[8] Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: fo r
the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
[10] Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in
the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of
patience.
[11] Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the
patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very
pitiful, and of tender mercy.
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1 Peter 1
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
[4] To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
[5] Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to
be revealed in the last time.
[6] Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are
in heaviness through manifold temptations:
[7] That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold
that perisheth, though it be tried with fire,
might be found unto praise and honour and glory
at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
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1 Peter 2
[18] Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear;
not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward
(crooked or wicked).
[19] For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure
grief, suffering wrongfully.
[20] For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye
shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well,
and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
[21] For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
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1 Peter 4
[12] Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery
trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
[13] But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings;
that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding
joy.
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1 Peter 5
[10] And after you have suffered for a little while, the
God of all grace, who calls you to share His eternal glory in union with
Christ, will Himself perfect you and give firmness, strength, and a sure
foundation.
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1 Nephi 17
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[1] And it came to pass that we did again take our
journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly eastward from that time
forth. And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the
wilderness; and our women did bear children in the wilderness.
[2] And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us,
that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give
plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the
men; and they began to bear their journeyings
without murmurings.
[3] And thus we see that the commandments of God must be
fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments
of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby
they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he
did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.
[4] And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea,
even eight years in the wilderness.
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1 Nephi 18
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[8] And it came to pass after we had all gone down into
the ship, and had taken with us our provisions and things which had been
commanded us, we did put forth into the sea and were driven forth before
the wind towards the promised land.
[9] And after we had been driven forth before the wind
for the space of many days, behold, my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and
also their wives began to make themselves merry, insomuch that they began
to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness, yea, even that they
did forget by what power they had been brought thither; yea, they were
lifted up unto exceeding rudeness.
[10] And I, Nephi, began to fear exceedingly lest the
Lord should be angry with us, and smite us because of our iniquity, that we
should be swallowed up in the depths of the sea; wherefore, I, Nephi, began
to speak to them with much soberness; but behold they were angry with me,
saying: We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us.
[11] And it came to pass that Laman
and Lemuel did take me and bind me with cords,
and they did treat me with much harshness; nevertheless, the Lord did
suffer it that he might show forth his power, unto the fulfilling of his
word which he had spoken concerning the wicked.
[12] And it came to pass that after they had bound me
insomuch that I could not move, the compass, which had been prepared of the
Lord, did cease to work.
[13] Wherefore, they knew not whither they should steer
the ship, insomuch that there arose a great storm, yea, a great and
terrible tempest, and we were driven back upon the waters for the space of
three days; and they began to be frightened exceedingly lest they should be
drowned in the sea; nevertheless they did not loose
me.
[14] And on th e fourth day, which we had been driven
back, the tempest began to be exceedingly sore.
[15] And it came to pass that we were about to be
swallowed up in the depths of the sea. And after we had been driven back
upon the waters for the space of four days, my brethren began to see that
the judgments of God were upon them, and that they must perish save that
they should repent of their iniquities; wherefore, they came unto me, and
loosed the bands which were upon my wrist, and behold they had swollen
exceedingly; and also mine ankles were much swollen, and great was the
soreness thereof.
[16] Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did
praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur
against the Lord because of mine afflictions.
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2 Nephi 2
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[2] Nevertheless, Jacob, my first-born in the
wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God;
and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy
gain.
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The Lord will also consecrate our afflictions for our
gain.
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Jacob 3
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[1] But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.
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Jacob 4
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[7] Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth
us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have
power to do these things.
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Ether 12
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[27]
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto
men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all
men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before
me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto
them.
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Moroni
8:16-17
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. . and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth
out all fear. And I am filled with charity, which is everlasting love . . .
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This talk deals largely with adversity.
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As You Like It Act 2, scene 1, 12–17
The Forest of Arden
Enter DUKE SENIOR, AMIENS, and two or three Lords, like
foresters
DUKE SENIOR
Now, my co-mates and brothers in exile,
Hath not old custom made this life more sweet
Than that of painted pomp? Are not these woods
More free from peril than the envious court?
Here feel we but the penalty of Adam,
The seasons' difference, as the icy fang
And churlish chiding of the winter's wind,
Which, when it bites and blows upon my body,
Even till I shrink with cold, I smile and say
'This is no flattery: these are counsellors
That feelingly persuade me what I am.'
Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
And this our life exempt from public haunt
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones and good in every thing.
I would not change it.
- William Shakespeare
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Lord Don't Move That Mountain
Written by Mahalia Jackson
Now Lord Don't Move My Mountain
But Give Me The Strength To Climb
And Lord, Don't Take Away My Stumbling Blocks
But Lead Me All Around
Oh Lord You Don't Have To Move The Mountain
But Give Me The Strength To Climb
And Lord, Don't Take Away My Stumbling Blocks
But Lead Me All Around
Lord I Don't Bother Nobody
I Try To Treat Everybody The Same
But Everytime, I Turn My Back
They Scandalize My Name
But Oh Jesus, You Don'T Have To Move My Mountain
But Give Me The Strength To Climb
And Lord Don't Take Away My Stumbling Blocks
But Lead Me All Around
Now When My Folks Would Slay Me
These Things They Will Try To Do
But Lord, Don't Touch Em
But Within Their Heart
Make Em Give Their Life To You
Oh Master You Don't Have To Move My Mountain
But Give Me The Strength To Climb
And Lord, Don't Take Away My Stumbling Blocks
But Lead Me All Around
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Isaiah 41
[10] Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed;
for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will
uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 43
[5] Fear not: for I am with thee:
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* * * * * * *
“None of us will escape tragedy and suffering. Each of us
will probably react differently. However, if we can recall the Lord's
promise, “for I the Lord am with you,” we will be
able to face our problems with dignity and courage. We will find the strength
to be of good cheer instead of becoming resentful, critical, or defeated. We
will be able to meet life's unpleasant happenings with clear vision,
strength, and power.”
- Marvin J. Ashton
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The Blessing of Cancer
by Tony Snow
Blessings arrive in unexpected packages, - in my case,
cancer. Those of us with potentially fatal diseases - and there are millions
in America today - find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our
mortality while trying to fathom God’s will. Although it would be the height
of presumption to declare with confidence “What It All Means,” Scripture
provides powerful hints and consolations.
The first is that we shouldn’t spend too much time trying
to answer the “why” questions: Why me? Why must people suffer? Why can’t
someone else get sick? We can’t answer such things, and the questions
themselves often are designed more to express our anguish than to solicit an
answer.
I don’t know why I have cancer, and I don’t much care. It
is what it is, a plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a
mirror darkly, great and stunning truths begin to take shape. Our maladies
define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect.
Our bodies give out.
But despite this, - or because of it, - God offers the
possibility of salvation and grace. We don’t know how the narrative of our
lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and
the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.
Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought
of dying can send adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused
panic seizes you. Your heart thumps; your head swims. You think of
nothingness and swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on
family and friends. You fidget and get nowhere.
To regain footing, remember that we were born not into
death, but into life - and that the journey continues after we have finished
our days on this earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished
by a conviction that stirs even within many non believing hearts - an
intuition that the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who
have been stricken enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with
their might, main, and faith to live fully, richly, and exuberantly - no
matter how their days may be numbered.
Third, we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes
surprise. We want lives of simple, predictable ease,- smooth, even trails as
far as the eye can see, - but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with
twists and turns. He places us in predicaments that seem to defy our
endurance; and comprehension - and yet don’t. By His love and grace, we
persevere. The challenges that make our hearts leap and stomachs churn
invariably strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would
not experience otherwise.
‘You Have Been Called’. Picture yourself in a hospital
bed. The fog of anesthesia has begun to wear away. A doctor stands at your
feet; a loved one holds your hand at the side. “It’s cancer,” the healer
announces.
The natural reaction is to turn to God and ask him to
s erve as a cosmic Santa. “Dear God, make it all go away. Make everything
simpler.” But another voice whispers: “You have been called.” Your quandary
has drawn you closer to God, closer to those you love, closer to the issues
that matter, - and has dragged into insignificance the banal concerns that
occupy our “normal time.”
There’s another kind of response, although usually
short-lived an inexplicable shudder of excitement, as if a clarifying moment
of calamity has swept away everything trivial and tiny, and placed before us
the challenge of important questions.
The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death,
things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy,
passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of
fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger,
shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies. Think of Paul, traipsing though
the known world and contemplating trips to what must have seemed the
antipodes (Spain), shaking the dust from his sandals, worrying not about the
morrow, but only about the moment.
There’s nothing wilder than a life of humble virtue, - for
it is through selflessness and service that God wrings from our bodies and
spirits the most we ever could give, the most we ever could offer, and the
most we ever could do.
Finally, we can let love change everything. When Jesus was
faced with the prospect of crucifixion, he grieved not for himself, but for
us. He cried for Jerusalem before entering the holy city. From the Cross, he
took on the cumulative burden of human sin and weakness, and begged for
forgiveness on our behalf.
We get repeated chances to learn that life is not abou t
us, that we acquire purpose and satisfaction by sharing in God’s love for
others. Sickness gets us part way there. It reminds us of our limitations and
dependence. But it also gives us a chance to serve the healthy. A minister
friend of mine observes that people suffering grave afflictions often acquire
the faith of two people, while loved ones accept the burden of two peoples’
worries and fears.
‘Learning How to Live’.
Most of us have watched friends as they drifted toward God’s arms, not with
resignation, but with peace and hope. In so doing, they have taught us not
how to die, but how to live. They have emulated Christ by transmitting the
power and authority of love.
I sat by my best friend’s bedside a few years ago as a
wasting cancer took him away. He kept at his table a worn Bible and a 1928
edition of the Book of Common Prayer. A shattering grief disabled his family,
many of his old friends, and at least one priest. Here was an
humble and very good guy, someone who apologized when he winced with pain
because he thought it made his guest uncomfortable. He retained his
equanimity and good humor literally until his last conscious moment. “I’m
going to try to beat [this cancer],” he told me several months before he
died. “But if I don’t, I’ll see you on the other side.”
His gift was to remind everyone around him that even
though God doesn’t promise us tomorrow, he does promise us eternity, - filled
with life and love we cannot comprehend, - and that one can in the throes of
sickness point the rest of us toward timeless truths that will help us
weather future storms.
Through such trials, God bids us to choose: Do we believe,
or do we not? Will we be bold enough to love, daring enough to serve, humble
enough to submit, and strong enough to acknowledge our limitations? Can we
surrender our concern in things that don’t matter so that we might devote our
remaining days to things that do?
When our faith flags, he throws reminders in our way.
Think of the prayer warriors in our midst. They change things, and those of
us who have been on the receiving end of their petitions and intercessions
know it. It is hard to describe, but there are times when suddenly the hairs
on the back of your neck stand up, and you feel a surge of the Spirit.
Somehow you just know: Others have chosen, when talking to the Author of all
creation, to lift us up, - to speak of us!
This is love of a very special order. But so is the
ability to sit back and appreciate the wonder of every created thing. The
mere thought of death somehow makes every blessing vivid, every
happiness more luminous and intense. We may not know how our contest
with sickness will end, but we have felt the ineluctable touch of God.
What is man that Thou art mindful of him? We don’t know
much, but we know this: No matter where we are, no matter what we do, no
matter how bleak or frightening our prospects, each and every one of us who
believe, each and every day, lies in the same safe and impregnable place, in
the hollow of God’s hand.”
October 2007
Tony went to be with the Lord June 12, 2008
. He had been a commentator and broadcaster for many years. In 2005
Tony announced that he had colon cancer. Following surgery and chemotherapy,
he joined the Bush Administration in April 2006 as press secretary.
Unfortunately, on March 23, 2007, Snow, 51, a husband and father of three,
announced the cancer had recurred, with tumors found in his abdomen. That led
to additional surgery and chemotherapy in April. Snow went back to work in
the White House Briefing Room on May 30, but he later had to resign again,
“for economic reasons,” and to pursue “other interests.”
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Count Your Blessings
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done
When upon life's billows
You are tempest tossed
When you are discouraged
Thinking all is lost
Count your many blessings
Name them one by one
And it will surprise you
What the Lord has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done
Are you ever burdened
With a load of care
Does the cross seem heavy
You are called to bear
Count your many blessings
Every doubt will fly
And you will be singing
As the days go by
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done
When you look at others
With their lands and gold
Think that Christ has promised
You His wealth untold
Count your many blessings
Money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven
Nor your home on high
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done
So, amid the conflict
Whether great or small
Do not be discouraged
God is over all
Count your many blessings
Angels will attend
Help and comfort give you
To your journey's end
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done
- Words by Johnson Oatman, 1897
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"When one door closes another door opens; but we so
often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not
see the ones which open for us." -
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-- Alexander
Graham Bell
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The Lord in his wisdom does not shield anyone from grief
or sadness ... if we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be
times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of great
happiness. Come what may, and love it.
"How can we love days that are filled with sorrow? We can't -- at least
not in the moment. But I do believe that the way we react to adversity can be
a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life."
Latter-day Saints should learn to laugh. It will extend each life and make
the lives of one's associates more enjoyable.
"We can seek for the eternal.... The dial on the wheel of sorrow
eventually points to each of us. At one time or another, everyone must
experience sorrow. No one is exempt"
Because Jesus Christ suffered greatly, he understands our suffering and our
grief.
"Sometimes, the very moments that seem to overcome us with suffering are
those that will ultimately suffer us to overcome."
The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away
from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in his own way.
"Not even death can take from us the eternal blessings promised by a
loving Heavenly Father."
- Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
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Nobel Prize-Winning Scientist, About to Turn 100, Still
Working
Sunday, April 19, 2009
ROME —
Rita Levi Montalcini, a Nobel Prize-winning
scientist, said Saturday that even though she is about to turn 100, her mind
is sharper than it was when she was 20.
Levi Montalcini, who also serves
as a senator for life in Italy, celebrates her 100th birthday on Wednesday,
and she spoke at a ceremony held in her honor by the European Brain Research
Institute.
She shared the 1986 Nobel Prize for Medicine with American
Stanley Cohen for discovering mechanisms that regulate the growth of cells
and organs.
"At 100, I have a mind that is superior — thanks to
experience — than when I was 20," she told the
party, complete with a large cake for her.
The Turin-born Levi Montalcini
recounted how the anti-Jewish laws of the 1930s under Benito Mussolini's
Fascist regime forced her to quit university and do research in an improvised
laboratory in her bedroom at home.
"Above all, don't fear difficult moments," she
said. "The best comes from them."
"I should thank Mussolini for having declared me to
be of an inferior race. This led me to the joy of working, not any more
unfortunately, in university institutes but in a bedroom," the scientist
said.
Her white hair elegantly coifed and wearing a smart navy
blue suit, she raised a glass of sparkling wine in a toast to her long life.
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Good Timber
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
The further sky, the greater length,
The more the storm the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.
Where thickest lies the forest
growth
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.
(Douglas Malloch as quoted in
Sterling W. Sill, Making
the Most of Yourself [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,
1971], p. 23)
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“No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God . . . and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.” Orson Whitney, quoted by Spencer W. Kimball, in Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972] |
"In the middle of difficulty
lies opportunity" - Albert Einstein
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