come what may and love it

Come what may and love it – Elder Wirthlin oct 2008 conference

Tell story of saying and paragraph on what she may have meant.
“I think she may have meant that every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don’t sing and the bells don’t ring.”
This is an eternal principle. Moses 4:22-25 Even Adam and Eve knew this when they left the garden of Eden just as each of us and every other mortal has known this before passing through the veil. It is an essential element of the fall that is essential to our eventual salvation. 2 Nephi 2:11-14 notice the profit and learning
Wirthlin continues “I don’t think she was suggesting that we suppress discouragement or deny the reality of pain. I don’t think she was suggesting that we smother unpleasant truths [often eternal truths and principles] beneath a cloak of pretended happiness. But I do believe that the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life.” … “The Lord in his wisdom does not shield anyone from grief and sadness.” As expressed earlier in 2 Nephi. “If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness.” … “Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result.”

So life’s biggest ongoing question is: how do we accomplish this?
First Principle: find the unpleasant truths. What is the Lord trying to accomplish in your life, or through your life? Why is this happening to me can have a different meaning?
In searching the lives of the prophets we can see many examples of the different answers that can be found to these questions.” I love the scriptures because they show examples of great and noble men and women such as Abraham, Sarah, Enoch, Moses, Joseph, Emma, and Brigham. Each of them experienced adversity and sorrow that tried, fortified, and refined their characters.” What are some that you have learned from?

Second principle: Reactions are simply refined habits.
► Laughter vs anger = memories “our laughter created cherished memories for us”
► Pray vs murmur “The next time you are tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of those around you more enjoyable.”
► Why me vs what lesson = wisdom
► Forgiveness vs grudge = strength and happiness
► Uplift others vs degrade ourselves = happiness and peace (decreased transgression because we aren’t trying to escape through other means)
What was Joseph Smith reactions to the confusion and struggle surrounding him? James 1:5 He turned to the scriptures, studying and pondering and prayed for guidance. This was a spiritual reflex! What does a lack of reflexes suggest medically? How do we exercise spiritual reflexes?
► Journaling- Henry Eyring- fortification of adversity
► Studying and pondering
► Daily reading and prayer
► Temple worship
► Sharing feelings with loved ones
► Missionary work and service

Third Principle: Learning to endure.
“Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. [What is that job? Moses 1:39] These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our characters, and increase our compassion for others.”
Do think its any easier for God to watch us make choices and endure trials and allow these things to happen? I struggle with it watching my kids, wouldn’t it be just as important for us to be able to experience this so that we can allow it to happen to those when we are the gods and goddesses.
The greatest example of this is our Savior. “Because Jesus Christ suffered greatly, He understands our suffering. He understands our grief. We experience hard things that we too may have increased compassion and understanding of others.” Alma 7:11-12 If we are to become Christ-like wouldn’t it be imperative that we suffer as well – we don’t have to suffer to the same extent because of the atonement but it doesn’t exclude us from suffering. He didn’t just suffer sins but all unpleasantness. D&C 121:7-8 “Sometimes the very moments that seem to overcome us with suffering are those that will ultimately suffer us to overcome.”

Fourth Principle: That of compensation.
“The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.” Notice that it comes on the Lord’s time table and in his way – we can make our trials much more difficult be simply resisting his time and his way. It is easy to think of compensation coming in a form we want or see or is even logical. What are some of the things that seem logical and what are some of the lords ways of compensating that are different?
One compensation is simple that of becoming. Christ-like attributes that our refined in adversity bring blessings of their own:
► Dispelling future trials caused by wrong choices or a lack of that attribute
► Fortifying others – increased compassion
► Charity – the pure love of Christ
► Strengthen testimony and fortification that makes future trials oblivious to us (spiritual reflexes)
► To stand as a witness to others
Imagine life in today’s circumstances with at least one Christ-like attribute. What would be the difference? What attribute could change things? The world?

Fifth Principle: Trust in our Heavenly Father and the Savior
“The simple secret is this: put your trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to him.” It’s easy to trust in good times. But experience trusting in the Lord increases that trust and eventually it won’t be an issue. What of the example of the Prophet Joseph Smith? How did he demonstrate his trust in the Lord and how did that enable him?
John 3:16 “The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper, and advocate. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be successful. If we do our part, He will step in. He who descended below all things will come to our aid. He will comfort and uphold us. He will strengthen us in our weakness and fortify us in our distress. He will make weak things become strong.” Moses 1:39
Trust itself requires trial. Trust isn’t made until it is tested. The lord
mal 3:10 god asks us to prove his trust alma 32:42-43 the result
abr 3:25 god proves us experiment his trust
He expects nothing of us that he himself and our savior hasn’t already attained and experienced.

“I know why there must be opposition in all things. Adversity, if handled correctly, can be a blessing in our lives. We can learn to love it.”
Bear testimony of it!!!!