do things that seem impossible. My mom sent me an email recently about
a man who can do something pretty extraordinary.
His name was, Charles Blondin, he was famous for his tight
walking ability. He was only five foot five inches and weighed about
one hundred and forty pounds. He had blonde hair and bright blue
eyes. At a very early age, he knew he had a talent for tight rope
walking. He was born in France and his real name was Jean Francois
Gravelet. He was born in 1824 and died in 1897. His most famous
tight rope walks were done over the Niagra Falls. He stretched a rope
1,100 feet across the gore that was about 2 inches thick and 160 feet
in the air above the water. The first time he walked across the gorge
was on June 30, 1859. After he had done this- he kept his audiences
coming to watch him because he would try new stunts while he walked
across the falls. He did it blindfolded, in a sack, on stilts and
even pushing a wheel barrow of bricks. At one time he walked half way
across and then stopped to cook an omelette on a little stove- eat it
and then proceeded to the other side.
Charles Blondin, afraid his fans would start to lose interest,
was looking for another great stunt to his act of crossing the Niagara
falls on a tight rope. He told his manager, Henry Colcord, that he was
going to try carrying a man on his back. His manager agreed that it
would be a magnificent show but had some reservations on the danger to
another person.
The day of the show- when the large crowd had gathered to see his
stunt- he asked the crowd "Do you believe I can carry a man on my back
across the Niagara Falls?" the crowd cheered and even began to chant
loudly "We believe! We believe! We believe!" (now remember, many of
these spectators had seen Charles do a number of stunts while crossing
the tight rope and they had seen him do it again and again.) Charles
called out again to the crowd "Do you believe I can carry a man on my
back across this tight rope safely to the other side" again the crowd
chanted "We believe! We believe! We believe!"
Then Charles raised his arms in the air and shouted to the crowd
"Who will come jump on my back?" The crowd went silent but Charles
insisted "Who will come- who will jump on my back?" When no one in
the crowd would volunteer- finally Charles' manager Harry Colcord
jumped on his back and the two of them walked safely across the tight
rope and back again.
The crowds went wild....but did they really believe before they
saw it happen?
There are so many times in our life when we are figuratively
asked to climb on the back of the Savior- but we are too afraid.
Isn't that what the atonement really is- allowing the Savior to carry
us and have his atonement heal us? It is one thing to see it work for
someone else and yet it is another thing to see it work in our own
lives.
There are many of us that shout, "I believe! I believe! I
believe!" When the Savior has declared that He can carry our burdens,
heal us from the pain of sin, or strengthen us in times of trial, but
when it comes to actually allowing Him to figuratively carry us across
the "tight rope of trial" we've been asked to walk, we suddenly are
not willing to hop on His back and trust Him. "It may work for other
people, but not for me" some of us may say. Making us only spectators
of faith, having lost the wonderful opportunity we could have enjoyed
of facing our fears and allowing the Savior to carry us.
Today I want to speak on the atonement. I want to address three
things that have strengthened my trust and faith in Jesus Christ while
on my mission;
Press forward in hard times, enjoy the journey, and come to know
Christ through trial.
First, pressing forward during hard times. Through out my mission I
have come to realize that when things get really hard, and I'm about
to give up, that's when the Savior blesses me- IF I put my trust in
him and continue to move forward.
In the beginning of my mission, childishly, I thought that if I
prayed and wasn't immediately saved from my problem, "well then,
prayer must not really work!" But, thankfully, God doesn't work that
way. During one particularly discouraging day, I was deeply touched by
the prayer that Alma gave during a time when he could have easily
given up,
"O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my
soul in Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have
strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which
shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people." Alma
31:31
Alma does not ask for his afflictions to be lifted, neither did
he ask that he wouldn't suffer. Instead he asked if he could be given
the strength and patience to endure and to be COMFORTED IN CHRIST.
Alma and his brothers pressed forward- acting on their faith- They
continued to work and then the blessings came.
There have been many times where I have been on the verge of
giving up and have told Heavenly Father, "I have had it! I'm done! I
did the best I possibly could. Why aren't you helping me?" And then
I'm gently reminded of Alma's account. I experienced this just the
other day.
All of our appointments fell through, the woman that was
supposed to be baptized dropped us, and to make matters worse.. It was
pouring rain and the only thing we had left on the agenda was
tracting. I felt so hurt and lonely. Regardless of how I felt, I knew
that I must press forward. I put my rain coat on then my companion and
I started our long treck down the gloomy street. The first three doors
didn't answer and as we moved toward the fourth door I found my
emotions were catching up to me.
Holding back my tears, cold, wet, and defeated, I knocked on the
door. The woman who answered was elderly, her smile gave me confidence
that maybe she'd listen. "Hello," I said- the spirit then touched my
heart- I paused as I started to become emotional, "We want to tell you
that God hears your prayers. He is aware of you and He loves you.
Although He doesn't always answer in the way or timing that you
desire, He always will." I felt the truth of what I had said and felt
as though I was talking more to myself, but with tears in her eyes she
said, "My husband recently passed away and I'm terribly lonely. In the
past I never prayed, but I have been praying more often. Does God
really listen to my prayers?" I felt a twig of shame, my problems were
nothing compared to hers! "Yes, yes He does! Can we come in and tell
you more?" I was surprised by her response, "I would enjoy that!" As
we sat in her house and taught her about the joy that comes from the
gospel, I felt the spirit say to me, "God does love you."
This experience I had is just one of countless others. I know
that as we press forward during hard times, Christ blesses us with the
strength to continue, because He suffered even as we suffer.
Alma informs us that Christ took upon Him our, "infirmities,
that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that
he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according
to their infirmities." (Alma 7:12)
While addressing this scripture President Henry B. Eyring
taught: "It will comfort us when we must wait in distress for the
Savior's promised relief that He knows, from experience, how to heal
and help us. ... And faith in that power will give us patience as we
pray and work and wait for help. He could have known how to succor us
simply by revelation, but He chose to learn by His own personal
experience." (The Atonement Covers All Pain)
Second, enjoy the journey. There is a quote by President
Hinckley that my mom has placed on our kitchen counter, it says, "life
isn't just to be endured, it's to be enjoyed." I have found myself
being reminded of that quote while in a difficult trial and wanting to
mutter, "Yeah, that's real nice President Hinckley... But sometimes it
feels like all I have been doing is enduring..." I'm sure all of us
feel this way at times; You feel the weight of un-answered prayers,
your husband loses his job, a sickness evades your family. Often the
true test of endurance comes when you have to give up something you
want in the moment for something better in the future.
Elder Wirthlin spoke on this subject giving the wise council of
his mother, "come what May and love it" in his talk he said, "How can
we love days that are filled with sorrow? We can't--at least not in
the moment. I don't think my mother was suggesting that we suppress
discouragement or deny the reality of pain. I don't think she was
suggesting that we smother unpleasant truths beneath a cloak of
pretended happiness. 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. If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be
times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of
greatest happiness." (Come What May, and Love It)
My companion and I were in a woman's home teaching a lesson
while her two year old son was playing with his toys on the floor.
Half way through the lesson the son noticed a toy car that was high up
on a shelf that was still in the box. The little boy dropped the toys
in his hands and jumped up then proceeded to tug at his mom's arm
pointing and begging her to get it for him. His mom told him no,
because the toy wasn't for him, the boy then went into hysterics.
Crying and screaming. In an attempted to calm him, his mother pointed
out all of his toys, "look at all the toys you have to play with!" She
said as she picked a couple of them up and tried handing them to him,
but the boy just screamed louder.
Watching this I wondered if that is how Heavenly Father sees
us sometimes. We are so focused on receiving one thing, that we don't
care what else God gives us, we refuse to be satisfied until we get
what we want. I couldn't help but think how this little boy would be
so much happier if he just enjoyed the toys he did have. After all,
that toy car wasn't really any better than the toys he already had.
Watching this boy reminded me of an experience I had.
Before I left on my mission I had no idea how much I was really
giving up. As the months have passed; my oldest sister has gotten
married, my youngest sister will be graduating, I've received multiple
post cards from family members as they have traveled to Greece,
England, Spain, Paris, a Disney cruise, all places I could have gone
if I was home. I could only experience my family's Christmas party
through pictures.
Every time I was reminded of something going on at home, I'd
just brush it off, knowing I'm doing what The Lord wants. Until a
couple of months ago when my sister, Cassi, had her first baby. This
was a huge advent for our family- particularly- because Cassi had
tried for three years to have a baby. Our family had fasted many times
for this blessing and finally it came. When the mission office called
to announce the news, I was very excited and happy, but as the day
went on I started to think more about how much I wanted to be there.
During lunch I excused myself to pray alone in our room. I knelt down
by my bed and just cried. "Heavenly Father," I said, "I know that I am
supposed to be here. But right now I just want to go home..." In that
moment I felt a great sense of love come from our Heavenly Father. I
knew that He was grateful for the sacrifice that I was making. I also
knew that He just wanted me to be happy.
Two choices came to my mind; complain that I couldn't be home at
this time or choose to enjoy the short time I had as a missionary. I
decided life was going to be much easier if I chose to enjoy it.
Though it was difficult at first, I put a smile on my face and went
back to work. I found that as I did, it brought the spirit into my
heart which helped me over come my sadness. I started to enjoy what
was going on in the present. Looking back now, I realize that- yes, a
lot has happened at home while I've been gone- but I would never take
back any of the experiences I've had, people I've met, and
opportunities I've been given.
President uchtdorf gave a wonderful talk last conference in the
Young Women's session. He said, "There will always be things to
complain about--things that don't seem to go quite right. You can
spend your days feeling sad, alone, misunderstood, or unwanted. But
that isn't the journey you had hoped for, and it's not the journey
Heavenly Father sent you to take. Remember, you are truly a daughter
of God!" ("Your Wonderful Journey Home")
I know that as we put our trust in God He will help us enjoy the
journey, regardless of how difficult.
Last, truly coming to know Christ through trial. Before I left
on my mission I received a priesthood blessing from my father, I was
told, "Rebekah, you will come to know the Savior in a more personal
way. You will feel His love in a more profound way." Out of all the
things that were said that night, those words stuck with me. As the
months have passed coming to know Christ better has been something I
have earnestly prayed and longed for.
I learned in the middle of my mission- and am still learning-
that coming to know Christ is much more than scripture study every
day- although that helps- and much more than a half hearted prayer. It
comes through the refining experiences we have that help us become
more like Him. Elder Kent F. Richards said while suffering through a
trial, "I came to understand that during His mortal life Christ chose
to experience pains and afflictions in order to understand us. Perhaps
we also need to experience the depths of mortality in order to
understand Him and our eternal purposes." (The Atonement Covers All
Pain)
At the beginning of my mission I was blessed with much success.
I was exactly obedient and in return there were always people to be
taught, lives to bless, and those who'd listen. I started to wonder if
all the things I was told before about it being "difficult" were all
exaggerations. When I hit my ninth month mark, Heavenly Father,
transfer me to open up a new area for sisters, one that hadn't had
sisters for many years. Having done it before, I wasn't too worried
about it, "All I have to do is be exactly obedient and God will bless
me." I told myself.
My new companion and I hit the ground running in our new area.
We must have talked to every person those first couple of days. I even
jumped in front of a guy who was riding a bike! By the end of our
first week we had many people scheduled to meet with us. Sadly, we
quickly discovered, as my companion would say, "they are all flakes!"
Every single person dropped us before our first appointment. As the
days went on, we continued to talk to many people, but everyone was
"flakey." In result I became very discouraged. "What could I have
possibly done wrong?" For six weeks we had no one to teach. We'd visit
less actives and the ward members were so wonderful, but I couldn't
help but feel rejected and hurt. Almost every night I waited until my
companion was asleep so I could sit in the bathroom and cry. I often
said as The Lord did in Jacob, "what could I have done more in my
vineyard?" (Jacob 5:41)
One preparation day during our second transfer in that area I
had just E-mailed my parents and printed off the E-mails they had
written me. When we got home I sat at my desk to re-read my letters. I
was surprised to find that I had accidentally grabbed something that I
assume one of the other missionaries had printed off. It was parts of
a talk by Elder Holland titled, "Why is it so hard?" Addressed to new
mission presidents. I felt the spirit tell me to read it.
The first line said, "You will have occasion to ask and your
missionaries will have occasion to ask and wonder almost every day,
'why is it so hard?' Why doesn't it go better, why can't it be more
rapid, why aren't there more people? Isn't it the truth? We believe in
angels. We have miracles." He then said, "We are the church that says
we are disciples of Christ that this is the truth and He is our great
Eternal Head. How could it be- and how could we want it to be- easy
for us, when it was never easy for Him?"
As I read that paragraph it took me back to when my dad gave me
my blessing, his words came to my mind, "Rebekah, you will come to
know the Savior in a more personal way..."
I then read, "The atonement will carry your missionaries,
perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators.
You let them know that they are standing with the best blood that ever
lived! The only pure and perfect life that ever stood; when they
struggle, when they are rejected, when they are spit upon, and cast
out and made a hiss and a by word. They have reason to stand tall and
be proud! That the living son of the living God knows all about that
and that the only way to salvation is through Him and the only way to
eternity is in Him; the way, the truth, and the life."
With tears in my eyes, I walked into my room, knelt and thanked
Heavenly Father for the trial I was going through. I realized that I
came to know Christ because I got a taste of what He went through. I
also learned the valuable lesson that even good, obedient, hard
working people are not protected from trials and heart ache.
The great biblical poet, Isaiah, said of Christ, "He is despised
and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and
we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed
him not.
"Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we
did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for
our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with
his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:3-4)
I believe that because of this experience, I came to know "the
man of sorrows" who was "acquainted with grief" and I have felt the
great relief of being "healed with His stripes."
Last conference President Monson, our prophet said,
"We know that there are times when we will experience
heartbreaking sorrow, when we will grieve, and when we may be tested
to our limits. However, such difficulties allow us to change for the
better, to rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches
us, and to become something different from what we were--better than
we were, more understanding than we were, more empathetic than we
were, with stronger testimonies than we had before." ("I Will Not Fail
Thee, nor Forsake Thee")
In conclusion, President Uchtdorf said in a recent talk, "Rise
up and follow in the footsteps of our Redeemer and Savior, and one day
you will look back and be filled with eternal gratitude that you chose
to trust the Atonement and it's power to lift you up and give you
strength." ("You Can Do It Now")
I want to affirm what he said; I truly believe that regardless
of what "tight rope" we are asked to walk in our lives; as we continue
to press forward in hard times, enjoy the journey, and come to better
know Christ, we will stand before the Savior in some future day and He
will thank us for allowing Him to carry us. In that moment we will
know that we became more than merely "spectators of faith" for we will
have been "doers of the word, and not hearers only." (James 1:22)
I love this gospel. I know that it is true. I know that Jesus
Christ lives. His atonement is the only way to true peace in this
life. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
