I found this on my sister's blog today. And since I am too tired to find out that nifty way of linking another site by a word, I just copied and pasted it right out of hers. I needed to hear this message today and thought many of you would benefit as well. Maury is a high school english teacher in Las Vegas. She's awesome. I love her.
An Anchor to the Souls of Men
I must admit, I've felt a lot of anxiety and fear about the future over the past couple of weeks. Living in Las Vegas right now it feels like you can't go a day without hearing about someone who's lost or is losing their home or job. We had meetings last week about how we will cut millions from my school district's budget, and of course the cuts made will impact the kids more than anything. It's easy to be worried and depressed all of the time.
All of this made me think of a fireside I attended at BYU where President Howard W. Hunter, at the time the President of the Twelve Apostles was the speaker. At this fireside, a mentally ill young man decided he would hold President Hunter and the thousands in attendance hostage until President Hunter read the man's declaration. President Hunter was very old and so frail that he'd needed help to get to the podium, and yet as the man yelled at him he simply held on and repeatedly shook his head, "No." When the man had been subdued President Hunter collapsed to the floor and the Stake President in charge of the meeting told us, "We're going to sing a hymn and then we'll all go home." President Hunter tugged on his pant leg to tell him that, no, we would continue. After singing a hymn he was once again helped to the podium where he gave one of the most incredible talks I've ever heard.
Whenever I start to despair I remember the words that prophet shared with us that day. I thought I'd share a few with you today.
An Anchor to the Souls of Men
-President Howard W. Hunter
Given at BYU, February 7, 1993
"I am here tonight to tell you that Despair, Doom, and Discouragement are not an acceptable view of life for a Latter-day Saint. However high on the charts they are on the hit parade of contemporary news, we must not walk on our lower lip every time a few difficult moments happen to confront us.
I am just a couple of years older than most of you, and in those few extra months I have seen a bit more of life than you have. I want you to know that there have always been some difficulties in mortal life and there always will be. But knowing what we know, and living as we are supposed to live, there really is no place, no excuse, for pessimism and despair.
In my lifetime I have seen two world wars plus Korea plus Vietnam and all that you are currently witnessing. I have worked my way through the depression and managed to go to law school while starting a young family at the same time. I have seen stock markets and world economics go crazy and have seen a few despots and tyrants go crazy, all of which causes quite a bit of trouble around the world in the process.
So I am frank to say tonight that I hope you won't believe all the world's difficulties have been wedged into your decade, or that things have never been worse than they are for you personally, or that they will never get better. I reassure you that things have been worse and they will always get better. They always do--especially when we live and love the gospel of Jesus Christ and give it a chance to flourish in our lives."
"I want to say to all within the sound of my voice tonight that you have every reason in this world to be happy and to be optimistic and to be confident. Every generation since time began has had some things to overcome and some problems to work out. Furthermore, every individual person has a particular set of challenges that sometimes seem to be earmarked for us individually. We understood that in our premortal existence.
Prophets and apostles of the Church have faced some of those personal difficulties. I acknowledge that I have faced a few, and you will undoubtedly face some of your own now and later in your life. When these experiences humble us and refine us and teach us and bless us, they can be powerful instruments in the hands of God to make us better people, to make us more grateful and more loving, to make us more considerate of other people in their own times of difficulty."
"This faith and hope of which I speak is not a Pollyanna-like approach to significant personal and public problems. I don't believe we can wake up in the morning and simply by drawing a big "happy face" on the chalkboard believe that is going to take care of the world's difficulties. But if our faith and hope is anchored in Christ, and in his teachings, commandments, and promises, then we are able to count on something truly remarkable, genuinely miraculous, that can part the Red Sea and lead modern Israel to a place "where none shall come to hurt or make afraid" ("Come, Come, Ye Saints," Hymns, 1985, no. 30). Fear, which can come upon people in difficult days, is a principal weapon in the arsenal that Satan uses to make mankind unhappy. He who fears loses strength for the combat of life in the fight against evil. Therefore, the power of the evil one always tries to generate fear in human hearts. In every age and in every era fear has faced mankind.
As children of God and descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we must seek to dispel fear from among people. A timid, fearing people cannot do their work well, and they cannot do God's work at all. Latter-day Saints have a divinely assigned mission to fulfill that simply must not be dissipated in fear and anxiety."
All of this made me think of a fireside I attended at BYU where President Howard W. Hunter, at the time the President of the Twelve Apostles was the speaker. At this fireside, a mentally ill young man decided he would hold President Hunter and the thousands in attendance hostage until President Hunter read the man's declaration. President Hunter was very old and so frail that he'd needed help to get to the podium, and yet as the man yelled at him he simply held on and repeatedly shook his head, "No." When the man had been subdued President Hunter collapsed to the floor and the Stake President in charge of the meeting told us, "We're going to sing a hymn and then we'll all go home." President Hunter tugged on his pant leg to tell him that, no, we would continue. After singing a hymn he was once again helped to the podium where he gave one of the most incredible talks I've ever heard.
Whenever I start to despair I remember the words that prophet shared with us that day. I thought I'd share a few with you today.
An Anchor to the Souls of Men
-President Howard W. Hunter
Given at BYU, February 7, 1993
"I am here tonight to tell you that Despair, Doom, and Discouragement are not an acceptable view of life for a Latter-day Saint. However high on the charts they are on the hit parade of contemporary news, we must not walk on our lower lip every time a few difficult moments happen to confront us.
I am just a couple of years older than most of you, and in those few extra months I have seen a bit more of life than you have. I want you to know that there have always been some difficulties in mortal life and there always will be. But knowing what we know, and living as we are supposed to live, there really is no place, no excuse, for pessimism and despair.
In my lifetime I have seen two world wars plus Korea plus Vietnam and all that you are currently witnessing. I have worked my way through the depression and managed to go to law school while starting a young family at the same time. I have seen stock markets and world economics go crazy and have seen a few despots and tyrants go crazy, all of which causes quite a bit of trouble around the world in the process.
So I am frank to say tonight that I hope you won't believe all the world's difficulties have been wedged into your decade, or that things have never been worse than they are for you personally, or that they will never get better. I reassure you that things have been worse and they will always get better. They always do--especially when we live and love the gospel of Jesus Christ and give it a chance to flourish in our lives."
"I want to say to all within the sound of my voice tonight that you have every reason in this world to be happy and to be optimistic and to be confident. Every generation since time began has had some things to overcome and some problems to work out. Furthermore, every individual person has a particular set of challenges that sometimes seem to be earmarked for us individually. We understood that in our premortal existence.
Prophets and apostles of the Church have faced some of those personal difficulties. I acknowledge that I have faced a few, and you will undoubtedly face some of your own now and later in your life. When these experiences humble us and refine us and teach us and bless us, they can be powerful instruments in the hands of God to make us better people, to make us more grateful and more loving, to make us more considerate of other people in their own times of difficulty."
"This faith and hope of which I speak is not a Pollyanna-like approach to significant personal and public problems. I don't believe we can wake up in the morning and simply by drawing a big "happy face" on the chalkboard believe that is going to take care of the world's difficulties. But if our faith and hope is anchored in Christ, and in his teachings, commandments, and promises, then we are able to count on something truly remarkable, genuinely miraculous, that can part the Red Sea and lead modern Israel to a place "where none shall come to hurt or make afraid" ("Come, Come, Ye Saints," Hymns, 1985, no. 30). Fear, which can come upon people in difficult days, is a principal weapon in the arsenal that Satan uses to make mankind unhappy. He who fears loses strength for the combat of life in the fight against evil. Therefore, the power of the evil one always tries to generate fear in human hearts. In every age and in every era fear has faced mankind.
As children of God and descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we must seek to dispel fear from among people. A timid, fearing people cannot do their work well, and they cannot do God's work at all. Latter-day Saints have a divinely assigned mission to fulfill that simply must not be dissipated in fear and anxiety."
2 comments:
I have to admit, I didn't read this post yet. But I wasn't sure if you go back to older posts to check the comments...
Carly was adorable in her costume. I am amazed at how well you handled the situation. I wasn't sure by the way things were going at first, but I think you can still be my "model mom." A+
I always check the comments no matter where you post them from because they come to my email which is wonderful. I love it that way.
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