Choosing faith

One of my callings at church is to write, each month, a small section on spiritual strength for our Relief Society provident living newsletter. I've decided to keep a record of them here since many are written about what I've been going through or trying to accomplish in my own life. There is always a challenge at the end to give the me and the other women a small, attainable way to progress in that area each month. Maybe it could be of help to someone reading this blog one day, too.

January 2010
To be honest with all of you, even with all of its blessings, 2009 was one of the hardest years of my life. There were several moments every single day when I didn't know how I would overcome one challenge or another. And to make matters more difficult, most of them were challenges that no one on earth could help me with. They were mine to bear, mine to overcome, mine to learn from. One thing my dad taught me from the scriptures seemed to be the key to my survival:

"You always have a choice between discouragement and faith."

He taught me this principle through the story of Nephi and his brothers' attempts to get the plates from Laban. Each time Laman and Lemuel refused to help or obey the Lord, Nephi reminded them that they had the power and the responsibility to choose faith instead of discouragement (1 Nephi 3:7, 15-20; 4:1-3). Even though no one else on earth could help them get the plates, "the Lord [was] able."

And He is able. He is able and wants, more than anything (Moses 1:39, Alma 7:12), to help us through every challenge we face. I have felt that so deeply this year--each time that I humbled myself and chose faith. Of course, it is much easier to give in to discouragement--in all its forms: anger, doubt, self-pity, frustration, desperation, sadness, loneliness, fear--than to choose faith and the hard work that must accompany it. But, as described in Helaman 3:35, it truly is worth it.

Challenge: Try to specifically choose faith in each trial (big or small) that you face this month.