The Faithful Endurers Shall Triumph

It may or may not be known that my dad was diagnosed with cancer in late July and since then, I have become more in tune with spiritual things and topics such as the principle of endurance.

Now, enduring may be easier for some than others depending on the trial at hand, but I think of what the Lord said to Joseph Smith during his tempests that preceded his martyrdom. This very useful and comforting counsel can be found in the book of Doctrine and Covenants chapter 121, verses 7 and 8, "... 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; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes."

Endurance is living and striving even when trials make you want to press the stop button on life.

Those who endure are considered pioneers no matter who they are, where they come from, and what their standard of living is.

A pioneer is one who endures in faith, despite all trials and sufferings and also rejoices in the growth and blessings that come as a result of the trials they experience.

Pioneers use a trial as an opportunity to examine themselves and their life, not only figuring out what is important, but also coming to appreciate what is important and letting go of what is not.

There are generally two responses to trials; one can either stop living and allow themselves to wither away in hiding and eventually be consumed by the burdens that stress and grief can become if left unattended or left on a person rather than being passed on to He who already died for all burdens.

On the other hand, one can react to a trial by looking and walking forward one step at a time in faith and hope for the light at the end of the tunnel. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can each be given the power to be the controller over our own soul and our ultimate eternal destiny.

The Lord will provide ways that we might be able to sustain ourselves both temporally and spiritually if we have the faith, courage, and desire to look to Him for help.

If we don't want the Lord's help, however, the Lord cannot force us to accept it nor can he force us to be of good cheer, of help to others, or accept help from others. In trials, it is essential to not lose oneself in the sorrow that comes, but you can lose yourself in the service you can do and accept.

According to 1 Kings 17:10, if we are quick to obey and see trials as an opportunity to endure and preserve what matters, the Lord will be quick to provide blessings and help us to see His loving hand in our lives. If we are slow to act and see properly, however, the Lord will be slow to provide because he does not yet view us as ready to receive blessings He has in store for us.

Trials may be tough and one may have to act as a pioneer often throughout their life, but they can only play host to one eternal master in the journey that endurance is. The eternal masters have opposing views and one cannot be immersed in living both the lifestyles that are encouraged by these masters, as the beliefs of each are different and nothing can be gained by fence-sitting.

A true pioneer draws upon whatever spiritual strength they can, even if it is walking into the unknown and discovering things that they did not know before. In order for the spiritual strength to be effective, however, the person needs to be willing to have harmony with their own spirit.

That harmony cannot be had if there is doubt in oneself or fear of failure. People have free agency to act as they will and react however they feel comfortable, but the Lord does not present challenges to people without providing what those involved need to be a pioneer and endure in active faith.

Eternity is far beyond what any of us can see, but we can prepare for it now and we should.

People have the opportunity to choose what kind of eternity they want by how they choose to live right now and by how they act and react when they come to realize that there is more to life than what they see and all can come to realize this truth because of the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Keep this quote, that I invented, cherish very deeply, and pray that nobody will steal for their own use, in mind and use it to endure well, as all pioneers have strived or will strive to do:

"I am the example, not the enforcer. I can have the Spirit of the Lord with me and share what the Lord wishes me to share, but I cannot force others to accept what I see as their truth nor when they don't, for all things are in the Lord's hands and He is the key we need to endure all things joyfully."
 

(c) Heather Cameron, September 2014.