Be Strong, and of a Good Courage

"We live in a world where moral values have, in great measure, been tossed aside, where sin is flagrantly on display, and where temptations to stray from the strait and narrow path surround us. We are faced with persistent pressures and insidious influences tearing down what is decent and attempting to substitute the shallow philosophies and practices of a secular society."

Those are the words of President Monson, describing our world today. In the face of such adversity, what can we do? In a world that brings us pain and sorrow, how do we continue?

The answer, as always, comes to us from the Lord, who said "Be strong, and of a good courage." This, brothers and sisters, is both my topic and my invitation today. 

When we think of courage, what probably first comes to mind is someone, possibly a knight or a prince, who is fighting a physical battle. Courage, however, comes in all forms and touches many, many areas of our lives.

It takes courage to be kind. Some time ago, I did something that hurt someone that I cared about. It was something thoughtless and unintentional, but it still hurt her terribly. I could see the pain I had caused, but I didn't know how to make it right. I was afraid that because of my mistake, I had lost her friendship and possibly even her respect forever. Instead of choosing hurt or anger-feelings that would have been entirely justified-this woman chose to follow Christ's path. She choose love and charity. The next time that we met, instead of expressing her anger, she chose to show me love. To me, that was a great act of courage. It takes courage to look past ourselves and to be kind, even when others do not deserve it.

It takes courage to endure. There are days when it seems like you're already beaten down and then a new load of cares is delivered right to your doorstep. How easy would it be to sink down, and to stop where we are and to give up. But be of a good courage, do not despair. There will always be hands outstretched to help you, including those of the Savior who has graven you upon the palms of his hands and who will never forget nor forsake you. So be of a good courage, keep going, and move forward.

It also takes courage to be cheerful. Being cheerful isn't easy. Even when it's a habit, there are many fears and annoyances that can insinuate themselves and affect our mood. But be of good cheer! God lives the Gospel is true, and all that the Lord promises will come to pass. Be of good cheer and remember that the Lord loves you. He will provide a way. It may not be an easy one, or even a way you can see at first, but it will be there. 

It takes courage to follow the promptings of the Spirit. Sometimes they seem difficult or maybe even insignificant, but God is willing to bless us immeasurably for a small act of faith. We learn "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little." Learning to follow even the smallest promptings of the Spirit helps us to learn and blesses our lives. Having the courage to follow our promptings will bless not only our lives, but the lives of others and will enable us to be better tools in the Lord's hands. 

Be of good courage, for the Lord thy God is with thee, and who can stand against Him? Having courage, the kind of courage that will help you to weather any storm and endure any hardship, requires faith. Courage comes when we trust in the Lord and trust His plans over ours. Having the courage to go where the Spirit directs and to do what the Lord asks of us means that we must have faith in Christ. I'm sure that that is not news to everyone, but since faith produces courage, and courage prompts us to increase our faith, our courage and our faith are always growing when we put our trust in God. Elder Holland has said, “If for a while the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived" (The Inconvenient Messiah, BYU Speeches, Feb 15, 1982).

Having courage does not mean that you rely entirely on your own strength. We're simply not strong enough. In the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord says that the fullness of His gospel will "be proclaimed by the weak and simple unto the ends of the world, before kings and rulers."  This may not initially seem like much of a comfort. We've just been called weak! But to me, this scripture speaks peace to my soul to know that I am not alone. I am weak, but God is strong. When I rely on Him, I have His strength to do His work. The Lord does not expect us to work alone. We have been commanded to pray and to ask for guidance and when we do, we can do far more than we ever could on our own.

This life is not easy, but God is far more interested in molding you into who you need to be than in you having an easy life. Amidst all our trials and cares, the courage that comes from an abiding, living testimony and faith in Jesus Christ is what will sustain us. None of us are intended to fail. Take heart in knowing that God is on your side, and if you let Him, He will direct your path.

As many of you know, I have been called on a mission an I leave in a week for the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission. It has taken a lot of courage to prepare for this, but I can already see the Lord blessing me and those around me. Better than I know anything else, I know that God lives. I know that Jesus Christ is His son, that He died for us, and that He was resurrected. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true and living church of God on the Earth. I know without a doubt that Joseph Smith was a prophet, called of God to restore the Gospel in the latter days and that Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet of a living God. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, as is the Bible. I know that the temple is the House of the Lord and that we will be strengthened and comforted when we take the time to attend. Be strong, and of a good courage, brothers and sisters. The Lord lives and He loves each and every one of you. I bear my testimony of this and say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

A Love Letter to My Family

It seems like all spells of intense thinking come at night, oftentimes when you should be asleep. Tonight is no exception.

It's been a roller coaster of a month. There has been laughter, tears, and many, uh, let's call them interesting situations that have presented me with the opportunity for both. And beside me through all f it has been my family.

For me, leaving family is the hardest part of going. And I don't just have family in one place, either. I have family in the place I was born. I was blessed enough to be able to go visit them a little while ago. It was wonderful and exciting and absolutely exhausting. I was there for a little over a week but it felt like a month-in a good way. We just crammed a month's worth of activities into a week's visit. It was hard to leave them and not know when I'll be able to see them again. But it was so much fun to be able to spend time catching up.

I have family in the place where my parents and siblings live. One set of grandparents are nearby and some cousins too. It's the place that I return to, the place that I grew up, and the place where my opposite-of-extended-family is. (I know the term is "nuclear family" but it's just not descriptive enough.) My siblings were my playmates and fellow adventurers. We made forts, created stories, argued, and learned how to share. The family that I have here is the family that I know the most, the one that I've known nearly all my life.

And there is other family for me here too. There are people that I've known since I was very little, people that I've talked with and associated with for (what is to me) a long time. In a way, these people too are family.

There are the girls that became sisters to me, through shared experiences and the sharing of confidences. They're my family as well.

Then there are the people that I've met since moving out to college. Roommates, friends, people from my wards, even leaders. There are more people that have become part of my family in the past few years. They were hard to leave as well.

This parting was probably the most difficult for me. Before, we were all scattering, or in the case of my family back home, they'll always be the people that I return to, for holidays, family parties, visits . . . . This time, however, it was me leaving them. They were staying with each other, or at least close. This time, I was the one leaving with the possibility of not having my family there when I return.

I know that there are so many wonderful things in the future but a large part of me doesn't want to give up our late nights, adventures, heart-to-hearts, moments of silliness, support, and love that we created. But I had to, and that made it hard.

It may be a cliché, but it's certainly a true one: Home is not so much a place, as it is people. People are where I find my home and right now, my home is split. It's split between the new and the old, between the people that are family by blood and the people that are family by virtue of being "kindred spirits." I have so many places that have family.

It's hard to always be separated from some of my family, to have the cravings for some replaced by the missing of others but what outweighs the grief of missing them is the joy that I have in them. I have been so blessed to have been surrounded wherever I am with people that I can consider family. I have been surrounded with love and opportunities and so, so blessed with the people in my life.

There are so people, so many of you that I miss. I wish I could talk to each of you personally, and spend time hearing about your life and what you're doing, what you've been up to. I can't but I hope you know that I appreciate each of you. Each of my family members and my friends means a lot to me.

On this earth, there will never be a time when I will be able to be surrounded by all of those I love and care for. This could bring me great pain, but I think that it is part of an incredible blessing. It means that no matter where I am, I will have family with me. No matter where I go, I will always never be without family. And that is one of the greatest blessings I think anybody could have.

Thank you for being a  part of my life, for the adventures great or small that we've shared. I hope that there are more to come in the future. There are so many people to miss, but that is only because I have been blessed with a large and ever-growing family. I am so lucky to have an amazing family that brings me so much joy.

All my love,
Elicia