We Come to Know
I was teaching seminary this morning and something in the lesson really stood out to me, so I thought I would share my take on it. We were talking about the pioneers who crossed the plains to the west. These pioneers had a lot of hardships. There were two handcart companies, the Willie and the Martin, who went across the plains in the dead of winter. Many of them lost their lives as they trekked through blizzards and waded through freezing waters. One man, (Brother Webster) after reaching the Salt Lake Valley in safety and living to tell the tale said this about his journey;
"I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the Angels of God were there. Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor one moment of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay and I am thankful that I was privileged to come to Zion in the Martin Handcart company."
The thing that I loved most about what he said was, "The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay". I have thought of my trials as blessings before, but I've never really considered them a privilege. Granted, my trials may not be crossing a frozen tundra and starvation, but I have trials nonetheless. They may seem small to someone else, and they may seem easy to a few. However, for me, the things I go through are instrumental in my relationship to my Savior and Heavenly Father.
I feel incredibly privileged to have to keep myself close to my Savior at all times, because of my trials. Something that I feel I struggle with, and have always, is self-doubt. It is so much easier for me to have confidence in others than in myself. Most of the time I struggle to see myself as even a percentage of what I am, which isn't easy. It is hard to feel incapable, unworthy, and depressed at your own hand. Yet, when I push this doubt and fear out with the faith that my Savior gives me I am able to see the truth, and I am able to overcome.
What a blessing it is to have trials, and to choose to use them for our blessing and benefit. As we do so we are paying a very small price, in comparison with the price that our Savior paid, to get closer to God. I know that this is true and I'm just so glad I've had been able to serve as a seminary teacher. I have learned so much about the gospel that I didn't understand in the past few months and I couldn't be more grateful for that.
"I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the Angels of God were there. Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor one moment of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay and I am thankful that I was privileged to come to Zion in the Martin Handcart company."
The thing that I loved most about what he said was, "The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay". I have thought of my trials as blessings before, but I've never really considered them a privilege. Granted, my trials may not be crossing a frozen tundra and starvation, but I have trials nonetheless. They may seem small to someone else, and they may seem easy to a few. However, for me, the things I go through are instrumental in my relationship to my Savior and Heavenly Father.
I feel incredibly privileged to have to keep myself close to my Savior at all times, because of my trials. Something that I feel I struggle with, and have always, is self-doubt. It is so much easier for me to have confidence in others than in myself. Most of the time I struggle to see myself as even a percentage of what I am, which isn't easy. It is hard to feel incapable, unworthy, and depressed at your own hand. Yet, when I push this doubt and fear out with the faith that my Savior gives me I am able to see the truth, and I am able to overcome.
What a blessing it is to have trials, and to choose to use them for our blessing and benefit. As we do so we are paying a very small price, in comparison with the price that our Savior paid, to get closer to God. I know that this is true and I'm just so glad I've had been able to serve as a seminary teacher. I have learned so much about the gospel that I didn't understand in the past few months and I couldn't be more grateful for that.
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