Have Faith. Yeah. Sounds great. Good plan. But what exactly does that mean? And how do I step forward into the darkness when I can’t see the light at the end of my personal, trouble-filled tunnel?
Life is full of tough trials. Goodness knows we’re aware of that right now in the middle of a pandemic, riots, fires, racial tensions, not to mention a divisive election that’s pitting normally sane, loving family and friends against each other.
But let’s not get mired in those details.
Regardless of what you’re struggling with right now, there are commonalities with challenges everyone faces. This is one thing all humans share. We are going to experience hardship, suffering, setbacks and grief.
While there are many types of trials, today we’ll focus on the following categories: Physical, Financial, Relationship, Community and Mental or Emotional struggles. We’ll also explore practical steps we can take to move forward in faith—and triumph.
Physical Trials
Physical trials are often obvious, both to the person suffering and to others. But not always. These can range from chronic pain to genetic disorders that limit our abilities to injury or disease, and even the physical decline that comes with age.
So how do we step forward in faith when we are facing a physical trial, especially one that may not ever be lifted? Bonnie H. Cordon tells the story of Amy Wright, a woman with cancer who struggled with painful, debilitating treatment. She felt like giving up. Instead, she began to serve others. By serving during her own time of anguish and extremity, she not only helped others, but gained physical and spiritual strength herself.
Relying on the Savior and trusting in His atonement is another way to step forward in faith when we experience pain or other physical trials. “Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. Fear not, little children, for you are mine…Wherefore, I am in your midst, and I am the good shepherd” (Doctrine and Covenants 50:40-41,44). From these verses, we learn that the Lord will take care of us. He will strengthen us and help us bear our pain.
Financial Trials
This is another hard one, one that many of us are experiencing right now due to the coronavirus pandemic and the related economic shutdown. This is a trial most people experience at some point in life and maybe many times. It can be a strain to cover basic expenses. And when there’s a hiccup in the plan – a lost job, decreased hours, medical expenses, a broken down car – things get even tighter.
Feeling discouraged in the face of financial hardship is normal. So is anxiety. But take your concerns to the Lord. He will bring you direction, answers, and peace. Recognize that He takes care of you and your family. All you have is from Him. And, hard as it may seem right now, continue to share with others. Pay tithing. Be generous with your neighbors. The Lord will bless you.
When we are generous with what we have and when we prioritize tithing and fast offerings, the Lord opens the windows of heaven and pours out blessings upon us (Malachi 3:10). Elder David A. Bednar describes the subtle and diverse blessings that come through paying tithing. For example, we may develop “a keener ability to prioritize and simplify, and an enhanced ability to take proper care of the material possessions we already have acquired.”
It can be frightening to pay tithing and fast offerings or to help others when we don’t know how we will pay our rent or feed our family, but this is a clear act of stepping forward in faith. It’s a clear expression of trust in the Lord, that he will take care of us in our moments of need.
Relationship Struggles
From time to time, our relationships can feel a little more like a boxing match than the loving, supportive interactions we all hope for. It can feel tempting to give up on the dream of having a fulfilling marriage or closeness with family or friends. The Lord teaches us a better way in countless verses on friendship and love.
Colossians 3:13: “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
Ephesians 4:2-3 describes how to strengthen relationships “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
One way to step forward in faith despite relationship struggles is to choose to build the relationship. In his landmark speech at Brigham Young University, Lynn G. Robbins discusses, among other things, putting your marriage before your pride. This involves spending your time and energy on “your side of the paper,” working on the things you can control, in other words, working on yourself.
Laura Doyle teaches 6 basic intimacy skills that focus on what YOU can do to improve your relationship, instead of dwelling on your spouse’s shortfalls. In her book, Things Will Get as Good as You Can Stand, she reminds us to “Be still and know that you are not God.” In other words, it’s not up to you to correct or change others. Leave that to God and let Him change you along the way.
Community Issues
There are countless types of community difficulties that can arise. Whether it’s conflict between neighbors, racial tensions, political tensions, or something else altogether, living among other people can sometimes be difficult.
Leviticus 19:18 states: “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I [am] the LORD.”
This is how we step forward in faith. We love our neighbors. We love those who are different from us. We try to understand each other. We look for the nobility in others. But what does that mean? How do we do it?
1 John 3:18 – My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Our actions matter. How do we treat those we disagree with? How do we treat those we don’t understand or who disparage us? We treat them with kindness and dignity. There is power in that. The power comes from having faith in the Lord and having the humility and ability to not be offended. We don’t have to prove ourselves right. We don’t have to insist on being recompensed if we’ve been wronged. We can turn the other cheek. “A soft answer turneth away wrath” (Proverbs 15:15).
Ways to build community are discussed in an article titled Being Spiritually Prepared for a Crisis, “We can provide service for someone who’s lost a job or a loved one; we can support a friend or family member struggling with depression or anxiety; we can help a neighbor buy groceries or pay their rent until they can get back on their feet. We can also be there to join in prayer and add our faith to theirs. There is great power when children of God come together.”
Mental/Emotional Difficulties
We all experience moments of sadness. But for some, difficult feelings and trouble with thought processes can go much deeper and last much longer. These issues often require professional help, just as physical trials do. Dr. David T. Morgan explores this in LDS Living.
“Those who struggle with mental illness are being attacked on multiple fronts, including medically, physically, and spiritually. Their minds are attacked with incorrect thoughts and perceptions. Their brains are attacked with chemical deviations. Their hearts are attacked with desperate and awful emotions. And their spirits are attacked with fear and despair.”
He continues, “In my life, I recognize there are times when my mental and emotional issues are going to get the better of me. I will lose many battles in my overall war to become a better person. But there is no way I’m going to lie down and let Satan prevail just because I lose on occasion. Even if there is no chance for me to overcome certain issues in my mortal life, I’m going to go down swinging. Fighting the good fight sometimes means throwing that last, weak punch even as you are falling to the ground in exhaustion. Fortunately for us, there is always another round and we can get up and fight again. Keeping the Savior in our corner may not be the only strategy to win the fight, but I believe it is the best one.”
So, how do we use faith to sustain us through mental and emotional challenges? Doctrine and Covenants 6:36 urges us to look to God in every thought, “doubt not, fear not.” As we train ourselves to turn to God amid trials as well as amid times of relative peace, we will find increased strength and hope.
Fill your mind with good things. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).
Recognize you are not alone. Paul described pleading with God to remove a “thorn” from his side. We don’t know if that was a mental health issue or a temptation or something else. It doesn’t matter. I know I have pleaded for relief from some of my struggles until I finally realized that maybe I just needed to accept that this trial is a part of my life, a tool the Lord can use to refine me, if I am willing.
Paul explained: God “said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
A verse that brings me comfort and peace while encouraging me to hold steady and continue following the Lord is Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Finally, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has described how the Lord will do wonders among us, regardless of the trials we are currently facing. Cling to your hope and step forward in faith.
Practical Steps You CAN Take
- Serve others. When you are pain, when you are experiencing grief, when you are hungry or feel you have nothing to give, this is when your service matters most. Step out of your comfort zone. Look for opportunities to help others, however small.
- Trust the Lord to help you through. Take your anxiety, fears, worries, or concerns to Him in prayer. Check out our post on How To Trust the Lord for more down-to-earth ideas on how to make trusting the Lord a little easier.
- Be generous. Regularly donate. Care for the needy. Trust that the Lord will help you take care of yourself in the process.
- Choose to build your relationships. This an expression of faith in the relationships and in God’s ability to heal them. Not only is a strong, meaningful social network vital to mental and emotional health, but it can be a great source of strength during any trial.
- Love others in word and deed. Be patient. Be forgiving. Be kind.
- Fill your mind with good things.
- Recognize you are not alone. And in the process, lift others.
- Submit to the Lord. Accept that some burdens will not disappear. Turn to the Lord anyways. Trust Him to refine you. Look for opportunities to do what is right and be the kind of person you believe you should be, regardless of the difficulties you currently face or the unfairness in life. After all, it’s easy to be kind when you feel good and everyone is kind to you. The real test is what we do when life is hard and things aren’t fair. Not only is this the real test, but it’s a chance to really grow.
So step forward in faith. The Lord will be there to catch you and bring you along.
What are some ways you have stepped forward in faith and how has that impacted your life?
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