Today I gave my farewell talk. Can't believe this is really happening.
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This life can be really hard sometimes, right? I think we've all had moments that just seem so incredibly overwhelming that we want to just give up. If there's one thing I've learned in my last 19 years it's how to endure.
Enduring to the end is the last principle in the doctrine of Christ. Jesus Christ teaches us 5 things that make up his Gospel.
1. Have Faith in Christ
2. Repent
3. Be Baptized
4. Receive the Holy Ghost
5. Endure to the End
Enduring to the end is the last principle for a reason. After we have accomplished the first 4, we need to never forget them and always live worthy of the blessings that we receive because of them. We need to always exercise our testimony of those 4. This is enduring to the end... it's a life-long process.
The first principle of the gospel is faith. Faith is vital. I have found this to be true more and more the older I've gotten. Faith in God gives us hope. Believing in something bigger and better really can get you through some rough times.
President Thomas S. Monson once said, "Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier."
Having faith is hard. But something that I have learned is that often the harder we have to work, the more blessed and better off we will be at the end. The struggles that we all face are a part of the stories we are writing. Trials are inevitable, but if we endure them and if we endure them well, we will be so blessed. We will find more strength and more confidence.
I think we have all heard the phrase, "God doesn't give us a trial that we can't handle."
I've thought long and hard about this, and a couple of weeks ago, I was discussing this with a friend and we both agreed that the phrase should actually say, “God doesn't give us a trial that we can't handle without His help."
If we were able to handle all of the things that life throws at us, we wouldn't have to turn to our Savior.
God loves us so much, He actually wants us to come to Him and He wants us to grow, so we should expect trials that we can’t handle on our own.
In Matthew 11:28-30 it beautifully says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me…for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Christ is speaking to those of us who are carrying burdens much too heavy for our own shoulders. And in that one verse he simply states the reason why we are given more than we can handle: It’s so we can come to him. It’s so we can trust him enough to hand over our heavy, crippling burdens and let him carry the load.
Jesus Christ is here for us. We all need him because we all sin and none of us are perfect. Maybe you are struggling with overcoming an addiction or you feel weighed down by depression and anxiety. Maybe you are struggling with finances, a relationship, or even your own testimony. Maybe you feel lost and broken and worthless. I have struggled with many of own trials for sure, but I know this to be true - Jesus died for us knowing that we may never love him back. That is true love. He did what he did because he knew we would need someone to turn to. It's there - his support, his encouragement, his guidance - it's all there, ready for us to take.
Ezra Taft Benson once said, "Those who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can." Because we are given trials we can't handle on our own, we are taught the beauty of humility. Being humble helps us not only to be able to hear the spirit but it also helps us to follow through with the promptings that we are given.
To receive guidance and peace, you need to turn to your Father in Heaven.
He wants you to know that you are loved, that you mean something, and that you have a purpose.
His love really is never-ending.
In relief society last week, someone shared something that was so beautiful and really hit me to the core. I had heard it before, but it didn't really click until last week. They said, "Sometimes the Lord calms the storm, but sometimes he let's the storm rage and rather He calms the child."
I truly believe that that quote embodies the very essence of our Heavenly Father. Of course He doesn’t want us to go through pain, but He knows that we need to grow.
Everything we experience is for our own good - Heavenly Father knows this. I know for a fact that I am stronger because of the trials I have gone through.
I didn’t really know what needing him meant until I had no other choice. You know, until I felt completely alone and in too much pain to bear any longer. Those moments taught me he’s not just a want or a convenient symbol of love or a reason to do good deeds.
No, he’s the very air we breathe.
And he’s the only one who can make it bearable when life is simply anything but.
I can't believe that I am going to be a missionary in just two days. This is something that I've always wanted, and it's surreal to be standing here, giving my farewell talk. I was asked recently what one of my goals was for my mission, and after thinking long and hard, I came to the conclusion that I just want to completely lose myself in the service of God.
Ezra Taft Benson, quoting him again, he said, "Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life."
This is what I want.
I want eternal life for me, my friends, and my family.
I just can't wait to be out in the mission field where I’ll work with the Spirit to bring people and their families closer to God and to eternal life.
I can't wait to meet and serve the people of Nebraska, and I am so grateful to be teaching and testifying in the Spanish language. I've been practicing my Spanish, so I'd like to bear a simple testimony of what I know to be true.
Doy testimonio de que Dios es real.
I testify that God is real.
Sé que Cristo vive
I know that Christ lives.
Y sé que esta iglesia es verdadera.
And I know that this church is true.
God is so good and true peace and happiness really are found within the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I so testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
