A Broken Bow

Why do bad things happen to good people? Now that is a question for the soul that I have often pondered to myself. Do bad things happen in my life? You bet they do. Daily. I'm so grateful for these experiences. I know that they all happen for a reason. Everyone goes through difficult times. However, what we do because of them defines who we are. When it comes to trials, there are no accidents. I take comfort knowing that we will not be tried above that which we are able to bear (1 Cor 10:13). As I studied the scriptures this morning I discovered the answer to that question of the soul.

I was reading in the Book of Mormon about Nephi and an experience he had while he was traveling through the wilderness with his family. Back then there were no Safeways nearby so they had to hunt and forage for their food. The way they hunted was by bow and arrow. No guns or lazer scopes back then. Nephi had the best bow though. His was made from "fine steel". His brothers bows were pretty worn out. They relied on the use of his bow to get food. Without his bow they were stranded in the wilderness without any way of getting anything to eat. One day while hunting something unfortunate happened. Nephi broke his bow.

Why would God allow that to happen? Now they cant get any food and they'll starve. Was he doing anything wrong? Not at all. In fact the family was doing everything right. They followed the Lord when He told them to leave Jerusalem (1 Nephi 2). They went back to retrieve the plates (1 Nephi 3). They left all their posessions behind to follow the Lord. Something bad had happened to good people.

Nephi reccounts how they reacted "And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael did begin to murmur exceedingly, because of their sufferings and afflictions in the wilderness; and also my father began to murmur against the Lord his God; yea, and they were all exceedingly sorrowful, even that they did murmur against the Lord." (1 Nephi 16: 20) On the other hand, here is how Nephi reacted: "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did make out of wood a bow, and out of a straight stick, an arrow; wherefore, I did arm myself with a bow and an arrow, with a sling and with stones. And I said unto my father: Whither shall I go to obtain food?" (1 Nephi 16:23). Nephi was then shown where to go to obtain food and he "did slay wild beasts" and obtained food for his family.

We have two choices when responding to bad things. One is to murmur and complain. The other is to buckle up and act. We decide what happens as a result of the trials that are placed in front of us. Had Nephi and his family all murmured and complained they would have perished in the wilderness. However, because Nephi chose to remain calm and did what he could with what was given the family lived to reach the promised land.

Yes bad things happen to good people. How they react is what defines them as good people. There is opposition in all things. Just because we choose the right does not mean we are exempt from trial and sorrow. We are however entitled to divine help and will recieve it as we act in faith to overcome adversity. Through our trials we are refined.

I bear my testimony that the Book of Mormon answers the Questions of the Soul. I know that it is the word of God as is the Bible. I know that through it we can recieve guidance in our own lives and we can overcome our trials. I know that it testifies of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. Through him we can overcome all things.

Order a free Book of Mormon for yourself so that the questions you have in your soul can be answerd.

http://mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon/

There is Hope Smiling Brightly Before Us

The recent tsunami that hit Japan causes us to despair. It is difficult to see such destruction. Nature isn't always kind. With so much death and turmoil it is easy to get discouraged and suffer a loss of hope. This event didn't just affect those who passed away in the crashing wave. It affects us all.

Other events in our lives may cause us to lose hope. Whether it be a death in the family or even as simple as failing an exam. For me it is my own individual weaknesses. I lose hope because I doubt that I have the ability to help others. I lose hope because I doubt that I can overcome a difficult event in my life. Loss of hope affects us in many ways. Without hope we lose faith. We can become selfish and our life begins to spiral downward.

Overcoming Lifes Hurdles

Back in high school I did track and field. I'm not an amazing runner and I never have been. I never liked running. In fact it was the reason I stopped playing basketball because they made us run too much in practice. However, the track coach talked me into joining the team.

Since I cant run if my life depended on it, I decided to give the hurdles a try. I immediately fell in love with them. Dont ask me how it works, but I just ran faster with something in my way. I got smoked in the 100meter dash or any dash at all, but I could take on the best in the 110hurdles. Placing an obstacle in my path made me run that much faster. Because of those 10 hurdles, running became one of my favorite things to do. Without them I would have quit sports forever.

I seem to look on life in the same way. As we go throughout our day we face obstacles. Oftentimes these cause us to stumble, but only if we let them. However, if we have the faith these moments can push us to run faster. With each obstacle we have the opportunity to grow and to exercise our faith. God places these experiences in our lives to give us these opportunities. He knows we can run faster if we have hurdles to overcome. He knows that without these we cannot progress.

Dont ever give up in life. Have faith that these experiences will expell you forward. Trust that God will help you. I know that if we do these things that we will be stronger. Our lives will be full of joy, and we will learn to smile in times of trial. They are given for our good.

I invite everyone to join the hurdle team and see how fast you can run. Below is a great talk by a General Authority about Adversity.

http://lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/all-things-work-together-for-good?lang=eng

Repenting Is Like Skateboarding

Skateboarders are crazy. Lets face it they have a lot of guts, or they are just plain stupid. I asked someone we teach today how long it takes him to master a trick. He said a week atleast, it depends on the trick. Then I asked him how many times he crashes and burns while he is practicing. Too many times. A couple of scrapped elbows and broken wrists don't scare these kids though. Only a rainy day will stop them from hitting the parks and rails. It is a way of life. It is worth it when you hit that kickflip or stick a grind. The bumps and bruises get farther in between. You just gotta stick to it. Stopping because the board slipped on the rail is no excuse. If you have your mind fixed on landing the trick nothing will prevent you from succeeding.

Life is a lot like skateboarding. We all have to have alot of guts to make right choices, or we are just plain stupid. The world is always trying to drag us behind. Satan really doesnt want us to be happy. He will do everything he can to prevent us from returning to live with our Heavenly Father. It takes us a while to make righteous choices. Following the Savior isnt easy but it is worth it. The way is very simple, we just have to have the faith the take those first steps.

Our Savior commanded us to be perfect (Matthew 5:48). Has anyone took a look around lately? How many perfect people do you see running around? We must be crazy for trying to be like Jesus who was absolutely perfect. Just like skateboarding we all crash and burn. We all make mistakes. We all commit sin and "fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). That doesnt stop us though. We are going to nail that trick. We are going to be like Christ. We just got to stick to it. We repent when we hop back on that skateboard and go at it again. It doesnt matter how many times we fall  we can always get back on the board. Each time we repent we learn something new and we become more like our Savior. The more we repent the farther there is between the bumps and bruises. Soon we master the trick and then we go onto a new aspect of life. There is always new tricks to be learned and new trials to face. If we truly want to be like our Savior we must be like the true boarders. We must fight through the broken bones. We must always be trying to learn new tricks. We enjoy the ride but we are never satisfied. We recognize we can always improve. We can always repent.

It is never to late to try skateboarding. I invite you all to hop on the board and get shredding. It is time to follow Jesus Christ. "And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son" (2 Nephi 31: 11). Just do it. Have the guts to give it a try. Dont be scared of a few broken bones and failed attempts because "This is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God" (2Nephi 31:21)