Talked in Church July 2018

Last Sunday I talked in church. I have to say that it is not most favorite thing to do. But this talk was different. I felt so thankful to have the opportunity to share what is on my heart. I felt like a mouthpiece for the Lord. I have learned so much this past year and have grown so close to my Savior. It was nice to put it into words. I am going to share it here because it is part of our history. My talk is taken from two different talks The first one is Called “The Atonement Covers All Pain” By Kent F. Richards, and the second one is Called the “Enabling Power of the Atonement” by Carolyn J Rasmus. A few months ago I was able to go to the stake activity where they had Sister Eubank come and talk. I really enjoyed her talk and walked away with a renewed strength to live life just a little better. Something that stood out to me in Sister Eubanks talk was She talked about how if she asked us the question who in this audience has something heavy on your heart today or some kind of trial that you are trying to get through each and every hand would go up. I’m sure if I asked that question today the same assumption could be made. Not one of us is immune from tough times. Today I want to talk about some of the ways that I have been learning to get through those trials and still have peace through our Savior Jesus Christ.. Another thing that really affected me when sister Eubank was speaking was one sentence that she shared. I wrote it in my notebook and write it every week in my planner. She said “I act in Faith even when I don’t understand.” This could mean a lot of things to different people. It could be understanding certain principles of the Gospel and questions that we have about the church. But for me and for this talk I want to focus on our trials. For those of you that know much about our family let me tell you about a trial that we face every day. My handsome husband was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2002. He had a bone marrow transplant the same year and has suffered from complications due to the treatments he underwent at that time. He lives a life of chronic pain. I don’t tell you about this to gain sympathy, but it is something that brings me to my knees often and I have had times when I question the Lord’s timing for healing for my sweetheart. There are nights where I begged the Lord to just let him sleep, To take the pain away and let him have a miraculous healing. Even though I don’t understand why he doesn’t make it better. I Act in Faith. Elder Richard G Scott has a quote that I love and also keep in my daily planner it says “Your Father in Heaven and his Beloved Son love you perfectly. They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty then is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love.” This quote brings me comfort. I trust in it. I have faith that God has a plan for me. Part of that plan is The Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. I want to talk about the part of the Atonement that can help us through the struggles of life. The enabling power of the Atonement. Elder Benar Explains this power when he said “I suspect that we are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming power of the Atonement than we are with the enabling power of the Atonement.” , I frankly do not think many of us Get it concerning the enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement,and I wonder if we mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities. The belief that through our own Sheer grit, willpower and discipline we can manage just about anything seems to be widespread these days. This simply is not true. Heavenly Father and the Savior can inspire, comfort and strengthen us in our time of need, if we remember to cast our burdens at their feet". In Kent F. Richards talk he says "None of us is immune from experiencing pain. I have seen people cope with it very differently. Some turn away from God in anger, and others allow their suffering to bring them closer to God". Several years ago my brother in law Mark lost his wife of over 35 years in a tragic car accident. This was obviously a very hard time for him. One night he was talking with my husband Jared over the phone and told him that he didn’t understand what my husband was going through with his physical pain. Jared told him that pain is pain. Whether its physical, spiritual or emotional. Its still pain. And the source that can bring us through that pain is the Savior and the gift of His Atonement. Elder Orson F. Whitney wrote: "No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility…. It is through sorrow and suffering, toll and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire". The amazing thing that I am starting to understand is that Christ stands ready to help us. He knows what it feels like. Because of the Atonement he has felt every feeling every pain that we have felt. I just have to go to him. Carolyn J Rasmus said in her talk "Christ stands ready with outstretched arms as He waits for us to come unto Him and be encircled in the arms of His love. It is here that we can be healed, nourished, loved, enabled, strengthened, and made whole". Jared and I have had a recent challenge come up with one of our children. I decided that I could not carry the burden of this trial without the healing power of the Atonement. I went to the Lord and poured out my heart. I asked him to comfort me and help me carry this. I have felt so much peace over the situation. I know he is helping me. I know that he understands everything that I am feeling. He is making my burdens light. Richard G Scott said "Please learn that as you wrestle with a challenge and feel sadness because of it, you can at the same time have peace and rejoicing. Yes pain, disappointment, frustration and anguish can be temporary scenes played out on the stage of life. Behind them there can be a background of peace and the positive assurance that a loving Father will keep His promises". This quote explains so well the way that I feel. I still feel the sadness. I still feel the frustration of the situation But because I turned to the Savor In the background I feel peace. Kent F Richards said "Sometimes in the depth of pain, we are tempted to ask “Is there no balm in Gilead: is there no physician there?” I testify the answer is yes, there is a physician. The Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all these conditions and purposes of mortality". Very often we have the faith, we are utilizing the enabling power of the Atonement and things still don't seem to get better. In these moments it comes down to the Lord's timing. We just have to trust that he has a plan for us. I love a Quote by Quinten L Cook. It reads "The test of greatness is the way one meets the eternal Every Day". I know that if meet those eternal days with faith in our Savior and use the Enabling power of the Atonement we can have the peace we are looking for. And even when we don’t understand we can still act in Faith. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen