Being committed in order to vanquish adversity
In English we have an expression that says, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Sometimes for me, one word is worth a thousand pictures. That’s what happened when I heard the topic I was assigned for this talk: being committed in order to vanquish adversity. Immediately when I hear the word VANQUISH, the image of a knight vanquishing a dragon and others like it flash through my mind.
VANQUISH doesn’t mean run away from. VANQUISH also doesn’t mean to fight for a while and then give up to be beaten by your adversary. VANQUISH means to conquer, defeat, win, beat or triumph over. In order to reach this goal of completely VANQUISHING adversity, it is true that we need to be completely committed. What kind of commitment do we need? How can commitment change our capacity to vanquish adversity?
To find the answers to these questions, I would like to share a story about three Georges: George the Weak, George the Mediocre, and George the Devoted. All three received their knighthood after proving themselves during years of training and trials. The day they were knighted, they swore allegiance to their king and to their Code of Chivalry. This code requires them, among other things, to: repent of all weaknesses, to be at all times and in all places the defender of the right, to stay strong and firm in adversity without losing courage even until death, to be ever faithful to the King, to never be arrogant rather humble in every way, and to always protect the weak, the poor and the widows. All three Georges have been chosen by their king to vanquish specific dragons according to their individual capacities.
Let us begin with George the Weak. Even though he accepted the title of knight at the ceremony, as well as the oath and code of chivalry, in his heart George is not much more than a mercenary. He moved to the kingdom of this king because he had heard that his knights were well paid. Upon his arrival, George doesn’t spend any time in preparation for battle because he doesn’t think he’ll be chosen to fight any dragons. His armor is covered in dust because he feels he has earned an easy life after all the years he has already spent in battle. The king, however, knows George very well, and knew him even before his coming. He had consistently followed his progress during all his years of training. For this reason, he has much confidence in George and knows that he can succeed. Unfortunately, when George the Weak receives his assignment to vanquish his dragon, his response is, “NOT ME!” Telling himself that his king was foolish to give him such a terrible dragon to fight, he flees the country without even trying to fight or talk about the situation with his king.
Moving on to George the Mediocre….Having lived in the kingdom for many years, George has great respect for his king. He has observed on several occasions that the king is good, intelligent, generous and just towards his subjects. Therefore, George knows he can have confidence in his king and when he swore to serve him, it was his sincere desire. The king has already voiced his confidence in George’s abilities, making George even more proud and eager to prove himself. Being a knight has been George’s life-long dream because they are brave, they do good and even more, they’re rich and have their pick of all the maidens in the kingdom. George takes great care of his armor, making it as shiny as possible, and he trains every day to impress his king (and the maidens) with his skill. Happy to be chosen to defeat his dragon, George sets off, dreaming of the eternal gratitude of the population he will save. When the moment of battle arrives, George goes to salute his king, who tries to give him some last words of counsel for this particular dragon. George, though, feeling prepared and strong enough on his own, pays no heed to his Lord’s advice. Face to face with the dragon George fights with all his might. He wounds the dragon several times, but suddenly, the dragon strikes back with his fiery breath, burning George severely. Humiliated and in agony, George cries, “WHY ME?!?” He gives one final blow to the dragon, who retreats, wounded but determined to return and seek his revenge. Afterward, George avoids the king and everyone else. He feels like the king abandoned him in his hour of need and was unfair to give him a dragon that was so much stronger and more difficult than those given to the other knights. He is filled with doubts about his abilities, his king, and his future. Finally, we arrive at George the Devoted. This George loves his king. They have fought, side-by-side, in many terrible battles. The king even saved George’s life. Because of this relationship, George’s heart is wholly committed to serving, obeying and defending his king, and he fulfills his commitment with humility and devotion. When someone is needed to defend the kingdom, George is always among the first to volunteer–not for riches or glory, but to prove his love and to protect his king, his family and his friends. He knows that he will have more dragons to fight than the other knights, and that he will surely be wounded and maybe even killed in battle, but he accepts each dragon gladly as an opportunity to prove his faithfulness and to progress. He knows each dragon will be different and more difficult than the last, and so George prepares himself as well as he can. He strengthens his armor, he spends hours training, and he seeks advice and counsel from his king, knowing he is not strong enough or wise enough on his own. The king recognizes the strong and immovable commitment George has made and stands ever ready to help him in his fight. And so again today George fights his dragon with all his might and, with the help of his king, vanquishes the dragon. This experience, as well as all dragons past, make George even more confident and capable to face the next.Like the 3 knights, we have taken a name upon us at the moment of our commitment. At baptism, we took the name of Christ to be our own and we committed ourselves to serving him, obeying him and following him–at all times and in all places. We promised to repent of our sins and weaknesses, to remain humble, and to stand for the right. This commitment, if it is founded on love for our King Jesus Christ, will be strong and immovable even in the face of adversity. In fact, it is this very commitment that will give us the strength we need to vanquish all adversity because it will lead us to change 2 very important things: our attitude and our effort.
1. Our attitude will not be, “NOT ME!”, or even “WHY ME?!”, but rather “Here I am, SEND ME!”
When the current temptation or trial becomes even more difficult or when it is not immediately relieved we will not feel abandoned. On the contrary, we will feel even closer to a perfect Savior who suffered ALL THINGS to save us and we will be humble and thankful to be able to become a little more like Him.
We will be full of faith because we will recognize the intent of a loving Heavenly Father in letting us pass through adversity. As He said in D&C 98:14, “Therefore, be not aafraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will bprove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, ceven unto death, that you may be found worthy.” So every challenge we face is a chance to prove our love and commitment to Him.
2. Once our attitude has changed, we will increase our efforts before, as well as during the fight with adversity. We will make every effort to prepare ourselves by putting on the whole armor of God as Paul counseled the Ephesians. We will consistently consult with our King through fervent prayer and diligent study of His words.
In the battle itself, we will not give up until the current challenge is completely defeated because a wounded dragon returns with an even stronger fire. If our efforts to vanquish adversity slacken before the job is done, Satan knows he will be able to use that against us the next time.
When we are able to reach this level of commitment, we will be rewarded as George the Devoted–who was much like the people of Alma in the Book of Mormon. While these people were still in captivity, they submitted themselves to ALL the will of the Lord with cheerful hearts and with patience. When their captors forbid them to pray, they poured out their hearts to the Lord. His response is found in Mosiah 24:13-14.
“Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.
“And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.”
I testify to you that I know WITH SURETY that the Lord intervenes in our favor while we are IN our afflictions because He loves us and because He recognizes our commitment. I know that every time I respond to adversity with patience, faith and trust in Him, I am strengthened. He then makes me stronger, more confident, and more capable to face my next dragon. If we will be faithful to Him before, during and after each moment of adversity, we will be lifted up in this day and in the last.
In English we have an expression that says, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Sometimes for me, one word is worth a thousand pictures. That’s what happened when I heard the topic I was assigned for this talk: being committed in order to vanquish adversity. Immediately when I hear the word VANQUISH, the image of a knight vanquishing a dragon and others like it flash through my mind.
VANQUISH doesn’t mean run away from. VANQUISH also doesn’t mean to fight for a while and then give up to be beaten by your adversary. VANQUISH means to conquer, defeat, win, beat or triumph over. In order to reach this goal of completely VANQUISHING adversity, it is true that we need to be completely committed. What kind of commitment do we need? How can commitment change our capacity to vanquish adversity?
To find the answers to these questions, I would like to share a story about three Georges: George the Weak, George the Mediocre, and George the Devoted. All three received their knighthood after proving themselves during years of training and trials. The day they were knighted, they swore allegiance to their king and to their Code of Chivalry. This code requires them, among other things, to: repent of all weaknesses, to be at all times and in all places the defender of the right, to stay strong and firm in adversity without losing courage even until death, to be ever faithful to the King, to never be arrogant rather humble in every way, and to always protect the weak, the poor and the widows. All three Georges have been chosen by their king to vanquish specific dragons according to their individual capacities.
Let us begin with George the Weak. Even though he accepted the title of knight at the ceremony, as well as the oath and code of chivalry, in his heart George is not much more than a mercenary. He moved to the kingdom of this king because he had heard that his knights were well paid. Upon his arrival, George doesn’t spend any time in preparation for battle because he doesn’t think he’ll be chosen to fight any dragons. His armor is covered in dust because he feels he has earned an easy life after all the years he has already spent in battle. The king, however, knows George very well, and knew him even before his coming. He had consistently followed his progress during all his years of training. For this reason, he has much confidence in George and knows that he can succeed. Unfortunately, when George the Weak receives his assignment to vanquish his dragon, his response is, “NOT ME!” Telling himself that his king was foolish to give him such a terrible dragon to fight, he flees the country without even trying to fight or talk about the situation with his king.
Moving on to George the Mediocre….Having lived in the kingdom for many years, George has great respect for his king. He has observed on several occasions that the king is good, intelligent, generous and just towards his subjects. Therefore, George knows he can have confidence in his king and when he swore to serve him, it was his sincere desire. The king has already voiced his confidence in George’s abilities, making George even more proud and eager to prove himself. Being a knight has been George’s life-long dream because they are brave, they do good and even more, they’re rich and have their pick of all the maidens in the kingdom. George takes great care of his armor, making it as shiny as possible, and he trains every day to impress his king (and the maidens) with his skill. Happy to be chosen to defeat his dragon, George sets off, dreaming of the eternal gratitude of the population he will save. When the moment of battle arrives, George goes to salute his king, who tries to give him some last words of counsel for this particular dragon. George, though, feeling prepared and strong enough on his own, pays no heed to his Lord’s advice. Face to face with the dragon George fights with all his might. He wounds the dragon several times, but suddenly, the dragon strikes back with his fiery breath, burning George severely. Humiliated and in agony, George cries, “WHY ME?!?” He gives one final blow to the dragon, who retreats, wounded but determined to return and seek his revenge. Afterward, George avoids the king and everyone else. He feels like the king abandoned him in his hour of need and was unfair to give him a dragon that was so much stronger and more difficult than those given to the other knights. He is filled with doubts about his abilities, his king, and his future. Finally, we arrive at George the Devoted. This George loves his king. They have fought, side-by-side, in many terrible battles. The king even saved George’s life. Because of this relationship, George’s heart is wholly committed to serving, obeying and defending his king, and he fulfills his commitment with humility and devotion. When someone is needed to defend the kingdom, George is always among the first to volunteer–not for riches or glory, but to prove his love and to protect his king, his family and his friends. He knows that he will have more dragons to fight than the other knights, and that he will surely be wounded and maybe even killed in battle, but he accepts each dragon gladly as an opportunity to prove his faithfulness and to progress. He knows each dragon will be different and more difficult than the last, and so George prepares himself as well as he can. He strengthens his armor, he spends hours training, and he seeks advice and counsel from his king, knowing he is not strong enough or wise enough on his own. The king recognizes the strong and immovable commitment George has made and stands ever ready to help him in his fight. And so again today George fights his dragon with all his might and, with the help of his king, vanquishes the dragon. This experience, as well as all dragons past, make George even more confident and capable to face the next.Like the 3 knights, we have taken a name upon us at the moment of our commitment. At baptism, we took the name of Christ to be our own and we committed ourselves to serving him, obeying him and following him–at all times and in all places. We promised to repent of our sins and weaknesses, to remain humble, and to stand for the right. This commitment, if it is founded on love for our King Jesus Christ, will be strong and immovable even in the face of adversity. In fact, it is this very commitment that will give us the strength we need to vanquish all adversity because it will lead us to change 2 very important things: our attitude and our effort.
1. Our attitude will not be, “NOT ME!”, or even “WHY ME?!”, but rather “Here I am, SEND ME!”
When the current temptation or trial becomes even more difficult or when it is not immediately relieved we will not feel abandoned. On the contrary, we will feel even closer to a perfect Savior who suffered ALL THINGS to save us and we will be humble and thankful to be able to become a little more like Him.
We will be full of faith because we will recognize the intent of a loving Heavenly Father in letting us pass through adversity. As He said in D&C 98:14, “Therefore, be not aafraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will bprove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, ceven unto death, that you may be found worthy.” So every challenge we face is a chance to prove our love and commitment to Him.
2. Once our attitude has changed, we will increase our efforts before, as well as during the fight with adversity. We will make every effort to prepare ourselves by putting on the whole armor of God as Paul counseled the Ephesians. We will consistently consult with our King through fervent prayer and diligent study of His words.
In the battle itself, we will not give up until the current challenge is completely defeated because a wounded dragon returns with an even stronger fire. If our efforts to vanquish adversity slacken before the job is done, Satan knows he will be able to use that against us the next time.
When we are able to reach this level of commitment, we will be rewarded as George the Devoted–who was much like the people of Alma in the Book of Mormon. While these people were still in captivity, they submitted themselves to ALL the will of the Lord with cheerful hearts and with patience. When their captors forbid them to pray, they poured out their hearts to the Lord. His response is found in Mosiah 24:13-14.
“Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.
“And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.”
I testify to you that I know WITH SURETY that the Lord intervenes in our favor while we are IN our afflictions because He loves us and because He recognizes our commitment. I know that every time I respond to adversity with patience, faith and trust in Him, I am strengthened. He then makes me stronger, more confident, and more capable to face my next dragon. If we will be faithful to Him before, during and after each moment of adversity, we will be lifted up in this day and in the last.
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