the weirdest thing happened to me this week. i have been feeling the burden of anxiety crushing me down so hard, and really feel personally attacked by two people i know, who are meant to be friends. it became worse and worse until it was eating away at me and i couldn't bear it. during this, i kept having constant inspiration for things i could speak about if i had an assignment for sacrament meeting. i even mentioned it to doug, who was like yeah okay jade. but then came the miracle. a few hours after i mentioned it to him, i got a message from a member of our bishopric, asking me to speak this sunday, with less than a weeks notice!
it was so unbelievable. i knew for sure then, that the thoughts and feelings i was having were definitely for a reason. he had thought of someone and even called them, only to know it was me he needed to ask, and his wife had had the same impression when he asked her who he should call. this is not coincidence, this is absolutely inspired. so i started writing and it all came so easily. it's about the times that life isn't easy. because sometimes it's what people need to hear.
******************************************
Good afternoon Brothers and Sisters.
Today I would like to speak on something a little different. Being weary in
well doing. This weeks Come Follow Me readings have a pretty clear message of
repentance and forgiveness. In Section 64 of the Doctrine and Covenants,
there’s a verse that really sticks out. Verse 33 reads: “Wherefore, be not
weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out
of small things proceedeth that which is great.”
In response to all the quarrelling and unrepentant Saints, Jesus Christ
commands the Saints to repent and forgive one another as they try to build
Zion. Do we get weary in well-doing? Absolutely. The footnotes that accompany
the word “well-doing” are benevolence, good works and self sacrifice. It
reminds me of all the things we do on the daily to try and build Zion around
us, and how weary I become trying to do so, often seeing little or no reward
for my efforts.
The end of the verse brings motivation, fortitude and encouragement as Christ
reminds us that we are laying a FOUNDATION of a great work, not the entire
building, or end product. In time our small efforts will allow great things to
proceed, not right now, but gradually over time, possibly even years from now. As
we remind ourselves of the fact that we will not see the end result today or
tomorrow or maybe even a year from now, our expectations of others around us sometimes
need to be put in check, and we realise that we need to repent of our short
comings and forgive more readily, for mistakes and errors as we all continue to
learn and come together as we build our little Zion here.
So as we build our little Zion, the most
important question is: What am I doing today, to get me where I want to be
tomorrow? Am I kind to all? Do I include others? Am I honest and fair? Do I
represent the gospel in my words and actions? And most importantly, am I doing
my best? The Lord does not expect perfection from us, He only asks that we do
our best. As President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Do your best, it will all work out."
Sometimes our best may feel as though it
is not much to offer. In the world we live in today, there are so many
pressures around us, eating at us and trying to make us feel less than worthy.
Pressures to be the perfect spouse or parent, career pressures and all of the
pressures we put on ourselves. The Lord only wants us to do the best we can,
but so often we push ourselves to do so much more. This is when we can become
weary in well-doing. By communicating regularly with the Lord in prayer, we are
able to have a clear impression on what is important and required of us, which
allows us to be attentive to the things that matter most. Blessings come as a
result of seeking and heeding the promptings of the Holy Ghost. President
Lorenzo Snow said, “This is the grand privilege of every Latter-day Saint …
that it is our right to have the manifestations of the Spirit every day of our
lives.” End quote.
President Russell M Nelson said, “The
privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His
children. Through the manifestations of the Holy Ghost, the Lord will assist us
in all our righteous pursuits. Whatever our place in life, we can pray to our
Heavenly Father and receive guidance and direction, be warned about dangers and
distractions, and be enabled to accomplish things we simply could not do on our
own. If we will truly receive the Holy Ghost and learn to discern and
understand His promptings, we will be guided in matters large and small. I
promise that as you continue to be obedient, expressing gratitude for
every blessing the Lord gives you, and as you patiently honour the Lord’s
timetable, you will be given the knowledge and understanding you seek. Every
blessing the Lord has for you—even miracles—will follow. That is what personal
revelation will do for you.” End quote.
When we turn to the Lord in prayer and
become in tune with Him, we will often receive unexpected, even what we might
consider unusual promptings. To do that something we wouldn’t usually do. To go
somewhere out of our way, to message someone we don’t know well or haven’t had
contact with in a long time. The Lord hears our prayers and it is often through
someone else that He meets our needs. President Monson spoke many times of how
one should “never, ever postpone following a prompting.” I find if I do not act
immediately, I will find out later why I should have and the reason the Lord
spoke to me at that time. If you have ever doubted if that small push came from
the Lord, or your own head, move on it as though the Lord himself sent you a text
with instructions.
Do we check in with others? People who
we know and love, who may be feeling hurt or forgotten? When someone has
suffered grief or loss in their life, these feelings remain for some time,
sometimes for always. Be the one to remember occasions and check in with these
people. Sometimes they may feel angry with the Lord for their trials, and to
feel His love brought by the arms of another can allow their broken hearts to
begin to heal. Reaching out to lift another can be as easy as a message, an
email, sending a favourite scripture or a story you have read – or for you cool
people out there, sharing a meme.
Some of us will unfortunately experience
infuriating unfairness in our lives. Elder Renlund spoke at length about it at
the last general conference and explained it perfectly. Some unfairness just cannot
be explained and that is what makes it infuriating. Unfairness comes from
living with bodies that are imperfect, injured, or diseased. Mortal life is always
going to be unfair. Some people are born in wealth and safety; others are not.
Some have loving parents; others do not. Some live many years; other will pass
away with so many years unlived, leaving their families to mourn and wonder on
what could have been. And so the list goes on. Others make hurtful mistakes
even when they are trying to do good. Some choose not to prevent unfairness
when they had the chance to do so. Distressingly, some individuals use their
God-given agency to hurt others when they never should. Sometimes being kind to
everyone is hard. Especially when that kindness is not returned. When showing
kindness may be towards those who may not deserve it or people who have
offended you or hurt you, despite their best intentions. It would so easy if
things had have been different. If we could have just forced people to do the
right thing. But we fought to be here, in this time, using our God given
agency. In these times we need to remember the words of the Savior and do good
to all men. We are reminded in Matthew 5:44 “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you.”
Elder Renlund said, and I quote “Different
types of unfairness can merge, creating a tsunami of overwhelming unfairness.
My heart aches for those who face such unfairness, but I declare with all my
aching heart that Jesus Christ both understands unfairness and has the power to
provide a remedy. Nothing compares to the unfairness He endured. It was not
fair that He experienced all the pains and afflictions of mankind. It was not
fair that He suffered for my sins and mistakes and for yours. But He chose to
do so because of His love for us and for Heavenly Father. He understands
perfectly what we are experiencing.” End quote.
In times such as these it is easy to
feel weary in well doing. It is hard to see that others may need your help,
when we may feel that we need help so desperately ourselves. But I know, first
hand, that the greatest peace comes from service in these times of grief and
pain. During my time within this ward, I have watched others in the depths of
despair find sanctuary in serving those who they felt were in greater need than
themselves. They are laying a foundation of a great work. Those who give when
they have nothing or feel as though
they have nothing, are truly blessed for their efforts. As President Nelson
said, “The Lord loves effort and effort brings rewards. We keep practicing. We
are always progressing as long as we are striving to follow the Lord. He
doesn’t expect perfection today. We keep climbing. As in times past, our
journey does indeed take effort, hard work, and study, but our commitment to
progress brings eternal rewards.” End quote.
It takes great courage to be a man or
woman of integrity when those around you forsake gospel principles. There will
always be people around us who are not doing the right thing. Who you may
secretly want to force to do the right thing. But try as you may, they don’t,
they can’t and they won’t. That isn’t the Lords plan. The Lords plan allows
each of us to make our own decisions. He fought for that plan. We fought for
that plan. Christ died for that plan. And what he asks of US is simply that we
do our best. What others do doesn’t matter. WE DO OUR BEST.
People have always been against the
church and being dedicated and faithful, especially in these latter days. Elder
Bruce R. McConkie wrote: “There are … millions of sincere and devout persons
who disbelieve, oppose, and openly fight the Book of Mormon. … What is it about
some words on a printed page—all of which are clean and uplifting and pertain
to historical and doctrinal matters—that arouses such violent antagonism?
“Men ordinarily do not rise up to fight the Bible; they do not organize mobs
and incite them to shed the blood of others because such persons believe in the
scripture of the Old World. … The violent opposition to the Book of Mormon is
one of the great evidences of its divinity. If it were not of God, Lucifer
would not overly concern himself with it.” End quote.
We may spend our entire lives defending
our beliefs to those who cannot and will not understand. But be not weary in
well-doing. Being a strong and faithful church member is hard. Seeing others
not be that is harder. Feelings of anxiety creep in. We feel less than we are.
We can feel like we are running in circles. But the Lord sees us. He sees us
and our efforts and knows our hearts. As President Henry B. Eyring said, “If
you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.” We were given a promise
of great joy, but never told that it would be easy, simply that it would, in
the end, be worth it.
In 1975 President Ezra Taft Benson gave
a talk entitled “We seek which is praiseworthy.” Though given long before my
birth, I feel as though he spoke clearly of “not being weary in well doing.”
Our task is to stick with the kingdom,
to not let anything or anybody disaffect or sour us toward that great gift that
Christ has given us—his Church. The Church is true. Keep its laws; attend its
meetings; sustain its leaders; accept its callings; get its recommend; enjoy
its blessings. … Each week we make a solemn covenant to be like Him and
take him for our leader, to always remember him in everything and keep all of
his commandments. In return he promises to give us his spirit.
President Benson said and I quote ”Just
a few years ago, we knew our Elder Brother and our Father in heaven well. We
rejoiced at the upcoming opportunity for earth life that could make it possible
for us to have a fullness of joy like they had. We could hardly wait to
demonstrate to our Father and our Brother, the Lord, how much we loved them and
how we would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the evil
one.
And now we’re here—our memories are
veiled—and we’re showing God and ourselves what we can do. And nothing is going
to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to
realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us. And
then, as President Brigham Young said, we’re going to wonder why we were so
stupid in the flesh.
God loves us. He’s watching us, he wants
us to succeed, and we’ll know someday that he has not left one thing undone for
the eternal welfare of each of us. If we only knew it, there are heavenly hosts
pulling for us—friends in heaven that we can’t remember now, who yearn for our
victory. This is our day to show what we can do—what life and sacrifice we can
daily, hourly, instantly bring to God. If we give our all, we will get his all
from the greatest of all.” End quote
We are all quite simply attempting to
lay our own little foundation here, in our personal corner of Zion. May we take
heart, lift each other and be not weary in well doing.
I know of the blessings that await the
faithful. I take comfort in my family being eternal and knowing that those that
we have lost in this short time we experience here on earth, will be with us
again, never to be parted. I know that the Saviour suffered for us, that all
will be made right in the next life. I know that the Lord knows our hearts and
our struggles, but loves us all the same, more than we can ever know.
