Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, this post should take three to five minutes to read from start to finish.
This post is part two. This post focuses on a April 2020 General Conference talk and it is called "Finding Refuge from the Storms of Life" by Elder Ricardo P. Giménez.
Elder Giménez has mentioned the following: "In order to enjoy the refuge that Jesus Christ and His Atonement offer, we must have faith in Him a faith that will allow us to rise above all the pains of a limited, earthly perspective. He has promised that He will make our burdens light if we come unto Him in all that we do.
... It is said that “to one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” (This statement has been attributed to Thomas Aquinas but is most likely a loose paraphrase of things he taught.) However, we have limited understanding of the things that happen here on earth, and often we do not have answers to the question of why.
Why is this happening? Why is this happening to me? What am I supposed to learn? When answers evade us, that is when the words expressed by our Savior to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail are completely applicable:
“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7–8).
Although many people indeed believe in Jesus Christ, the key question is whether we believe Him and whether we believe the things that He teaches us and asks us to do. Perhaps someone might think, “What does Jesus Christ know about what is happening to me? How does He know what I need to be happy?”
... The Apostle Peter also taught us about the Savior, saying, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
Although the time of Peter’s own martyrdom was approaching, his words are not filled with fear or pessimism; rather, he taught the Saints to “rejoice,” even though they were “in heaviness through manifold temptations.” Peter counseled us to remember that “the trial of [our] faith, … though it be tried with fire,” would lead to “praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” and to “the salvation of [our] souls” (1 Peter 1:6–7, 9).
... President Russell M. Nelson taught that “Saints can be happy under every circumstance. … When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation … and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy” (“Joy and Spiritual Survival,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 82).
Of course, it is easier to say these things when we are not in the midst of a storm than to live and apply them during the storm. ... I hope you can feel that I sincerely want to share with you how valuable it is to know that Jesus Christ and His Atonement are the refuge that we all need, regardless of the storms that are battering our lives.
I know that we are all children of God, that He loves us, and that we are not alone. I invite you to come and see that He can lighten your burdens and be the refuge you are seeking. Come and help others find the refuge that they so yearn for. Come and stay with us in this refuge, which will help you resist the storms of life. There is no doubt in my heart that if you come, you will see, you will help, and you will stay.
The prophet Alma testified the following to his son Helaman: “I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 36:3).
The Savior Himself said: “Let your hearts be comforted … ; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God. … “Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:16, 36).
The hymn “Be Still, My Soul,” which has touched my heart on many occasions, has a message of comfort for our souls. The lyrics read as follows:
Be still, my soul: The hour is hast’ning on When we shall be forever with the Lord, When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored. Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past, All safe and blessed we shall meet at last. (Hymns, no. 124)
As we face the storms of life, I know that if we make our best effort and rely upon Jesus Christ and His Atonement as our refuge, we will be blessed with the relief, comfort, strength, temperance, and peace that we are seeking, with certainty in our hearts that at the end of our time here on earth, we will hear the words of the Master: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: … enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:21). ..."
If you would like read this whole talk either now or in your own time. Here's the link below.
Stay Tuned until next time.
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