Hold On A Little Longer

There are many beautiful promises and principles within this article. However I chose to focus on the one that stood out to me (Zach) the most.

"If ever you are tempted to become discouraged or to lose faith, remember those faithful Saints who remained true in Kirtland. Hold on a little longer. You can do this! You are part of a special generation. You were prepared and preserved to live at this important time in the existence of our beautiful planet earth. You have a celestial pedigree and therefore have all the necessary talents to make your life an eternal success story." - President Uchtdorf

Number One: The Lord Has Faith In You

One of the recurring principles taught throughout all of the scriptures is that; the Lord believes and has faith in each one of his children, regardless of the circumstance. Sometimes the Lord will ask his children to undertake difficult tasks; Peter was asked to walk on water, the saints were asked to sacrifice their time and money to building a Temple that most knew would be destroyed, the early pioneers were urged to keep walking... What difficult task is the Lord asking of you today?

The Lord has made it clear that he does not judge us according to our resume. Meaning, he doesn't pay a whole lot of attention to the distance, or surface we walk on in life, but rather if we walk at all.

The other night as I was reading the scriptures, I came across a verse in Mosiah...

"And it came to pass that the people of Limhi began to drive the Lamanites before them; yet they were not half so numerous as the Lamanites. But they fought for their lives, and for their wives, and for their children; therefore they exerted themselves and like dragons did they fight." - Mosiah 20:11

There is a parallel that can be found in this story. Whether you were just given the dreadful news that you had 3 months to find a new job, an expected mother, wondering if she is prepared to take on the task of bringing in a new child of God, or simply having a hard day; regardless of our circumstance or situation, certainly we can relate to the out-numbered people of Limhi.

Perhaps when we are in these "walk on water" situations, we can look to the people of Limhi for strength and learning. Remember, they fought for their lives, their families and also note that they "exerted themselves." We, like the people of Limhi must fight with passion, courage and most importantly with a purpose.

After pondering that scripture, I realized 2 things. One, that in order to win a fight, or overcome a difficult task, one needs to have clear vision that leads to a clear destination. Number two, the exerting of oneself is usually what it will take to get to that destination. And so in my "Study Journal" (thank you PMG) I wrote...

"Fuel can be found in a clarion cause."

That might not mean anything to anybody else, but to me that was the spirit telling me that regardless of where you are in life and no matter what you are being asked to do, if you excercise faith to hold on a littler longer, the Lord will provide you with the fuel (strenth / stamina/ spirit ) to endure and to overcome whatever the obstacle or challenge may be.

-Zach