My
name is Molly Thomas and I was asked to speak about remembering the Lord in our
daily lives while going through trials. This talk will be taken primarily from
personal experiences, along with quotes that I really like. Tools that we can
use: Patriarchal blessings, Priesthood blessings, Prayer, Scripture Study,
Tribulation, afflictions, and trials will
constantly be with us in our sojourn here in this segment of eternity, just as
the Savior said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” (John 16:33.) Therefore, the
great challenge in this earthly life is not to determine how to escape the
afflictions and problems, but rather to carefully prepare ourselves to meet
them.
Last
Fall I was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. It was found at Stage 1 through an
emergency appendectomy. If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask later
because I am very open about everything. I am a miracle and I know it. It was a time in my life that I had to grow up
quickly; I had a lot of decisions to make on my own. Do I finish the semester,
where do I get treated, do I have chemo, what effect with this have on my
future, etc. I was scared for the
future, but in my heart of hearts I knew that everything was going to be
alright because of something my patriarchal blessing said: “Your life will be
spared in a miraculous way as troubling times come. And it will be through your
faith and trust in Him that you are doing the right things for the right
purpose”
Priesthood
Blessings: The night the doctor told me I had cancer I received a blessing from
a friend from back home. I don’t often remember exactly what blessings say, but
I will never forget what he said in this: “There will come a time when you will
no longer fear the future.” In Oct 1995,
President James E Faust said in his talk entititled Priesthood Blessings “ A priesthood blessing is sacred. It can be a
holy and inspired statement of our wants and needs. If we are in tune
spiritually, we can receive a confirming witness of the truth of the promised
blessings. Priesthood blessings can help us in the small and great decisions of
our lives. If, through our priesthood blessings, we could perceive only a small
part of the person God intends us to be, we would lose our fear and never doubt
again.”
Keep a mental tally about the good things that are happening
in your life. Yes, you have your trials but there are plenty of good things in
the world too. I have to do this frequently otherwise I have problems with just
laying in bed all day. One day as I was writing on my blog I decided to write
the things that had happened recently in my life that made me happy. And I have
kept up with it ever since. It helps me recognize the influence that God has in
my life, like the huge progression I have made with my major this semester. And
it helps me remember the small things that made me smile, like my cookies
turning out just right or sitting in the bathroom late at night laughing at my
roommates.
Recently I bore my
testimony on remembering that you are never alone when going through a trial.
Today I would like to expound on that because I feel so strongly about this. I
found out that my insurance wouldn’t pay for all of my chemo rounds, and I
broke down. I sobbed and decided it wasn’t worth it to keep going. I was
hitting one problem right after I had just solved one. This time I was going to
thousands of dollars of debt, not even for something cool like traveling or a
nice car. My sister was standing right next to me when I found out and she
helped me come up with a game plan and realize that I did have options, life
was not over just because I would need to take out some student loans. God is
not going to do something for you that you can do on your own, but He will help
you get through the stuff you don’t know how to get through. And He will do it
differently each time.
Many people go through the “Why is this happening to me?”
phase of a trial. You can go crazy asking yourself these questions. In response I read a quote by Angel Abrea. In
his talk entitled “Patience in Affliction” he says “Into the life of the
faithful sister whose son was killed while on a mission came many questions
which raced through her mind and those asked by disbelievers, creating doubts,
such as, “Why was my son killed if he was a good missionary and an excellent
son?” “My son was serving the Lord and was a great example to his brothers who
are preparing to go into the mission field. Why?”
Patience in affliction and suffering means
answering as she did to all those questions: “I don’t know, nor do I have all
the answers, but one thing I do know is that someday, in the Lord’s divine
timetable, I shall see my son again and be reunited with him.”
Patience in affliction and suffering
describes the life of Christ, the great exemplar. In moments of great suffering
and pain which transpired in Gethsemane, He was able to express in fervent
prayer, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:
nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39), giving us the
example and a frame of reference for a life of obedience and perseverance,
despite circumstances or external conditions in which we could find ourselves.
How many times do we conclude our prayers
with, “Let this cup pass from me”?
Under circumstances when the symbolic cup
might represent sickness, pain, anxiety, unemployment, or the suffering of a
loved one, are we able to continue our prayer with, “Nevertheless not as I
will, but as thou wilt”? This very word, this key wordnevertheless, conveys the firm conviction that we
are placing everything in the hands of the Lord.
When at times on life’s journey it becomes
our lot to travel with the criticism of skeptics, the hate of some, the
rejection of others, the impatience of many, or a friend’s betrayal, we must be
able to pray in such a manner that an abiding faith and a strong testimony that
the Lord will be with us to the end will compel us to say, “Nevertheless,
Father, Thy will be done, and with Thy help, in patience I will follow firmly
on the path that takes me back to Thee.”
2
Timothy 1:6-7 “For God hath not given the spirit of fear, but of power and of
love, and of a sound mind.”
You
have trials when you are ready to grow, ready to become more than you are now-
Sunday School
It is
your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself that determines how your
life story will develop. Dieter F Uchdorf
In
his talk “Unleashing the Dormant Soul” Elder F Enzio Busche said “in your life
there have to be challenges. They will either bring you closer to God or
therefore make you stronger, or they can destroy you. You make the decision of
which road you take.”
“God knows better than you what you need. He always attempts
to speak to you. Listen, and follow the uncomfortable suggestions that he makes
to us- everything will fall into its place.”
“When you are compelled to give up something or when things
are dear to you are withdrawn from you, know that this is your lesson to be
learned right now. But know also that, as you are learning from this lesson,
God wants to give you something better.”
THINGS THAT MAKE MOLLY HAPPY :)
- I've made tons of new friends in the last month
- I get to play outside everyday
- New cookie recipes that turn out
- My TOMS are about broken in
- Wearing shorts
- Cold Diet Coke
