My mother and I are kindred spirits in many ways, from our love of baking, music and classic movies, our gift of writing, and even our chronic pain. I am very blessed to have a mother I call my best friend. A few days ago, we were talking about challenges we've been facing, some new and some that have been giving us grief for many months or years. In the course of our conversation, my mom recounted an experience a Bishop in her stake shared about trials and pressing forward, and the thoughts it provoked in her own mind. We both teared up as we spoke, the Spirit seeping through the receivers of our phones straight to our hearts.
I asked my mom if I could share her thoughts, and she readily agreed. They breathed new life into the words "Press forward", and I now consider them one of the mantra's for my life.
"This morning in the Belvedere Ward, I listened to a recap of our stake youth's pioneer trek given by Bishop Carson, who served as the Trek Master. He described the first day of trek as being not too hard. The weather was mild, and they were walking in the shade for a good portion of the day. However, the second day turned out to be wickedly hot and windy. A youth began to suffer from the heat and a medic was called out. When he was stable they proceeded on their way. They finally stopped to rest just an hour or two from their destination. At this point, the leaders were becoming concerned. Everyone was exhausted and they were running low on water. Bishop Carson reached out by text to the missionaries who oversee the program and asked if they could modify their destination location or send out some supplies. The word came back, “You can rest a short while and then press on, or you can stay a long while and then press on.” They rested a short while and then pressed on.
"This morning in the Belvedere Ward, I listened to a recap of our stake youth's pioneer trek given by Bishop Carson, who served as the Trek Master. He described the first day of trek as being not too hard. The weather was mild, and they were walking in the shade for a good portion of the day. However, the second day turned out to be wickedly hot and windy. A youth began to suffer from the heat and a medic was called out. When he was stable they proceeded on their way. They finally stopped to rest just an hour or two from their destination. At this point, the leaders were becoming concerned. Everyone was exhausted and they were running low on water. Bishop Carson reached out by text to the missionaries who oversee the program and asked if they could modify their destination location or send out some supplies. The word came back, “You can rest a short while and then press on, or you can stay a long while and then press on.” They rested a short while and then pressed on.
I have thought about this continually over the past few days and wanted to record some of those thoughts. I know that we all have times in our lives when we experience the sheer exhaustion that results from our continued efforts to “press on”. Pressing forward is a difficult task that according to Elder Neil L. Anderson, “requires more than simply going forward. [To] press implies something is preventing [our] advancement, and [we] must push through it. To go forward in this life [we] must press temptations aside, press through obstacles, press the doubt and fear under [our] feet, and embrace the divine qualities of faith, hope, and love”.
Many times in my trek through this life, I have found myself in a state of collapse, with dimming strength and hope. I too have reached out in desperation for relief and rescuing. I’ve rarely been rescued in the ways I had hoped and prayed for, but I testify that the Lord stands ready to assist me when I’m ready to get up and move again. I really connected with a thought shared by a sister who has struggled with mental illness for many years. She has come to see the parable of the lost sheep in a new light. In the past, she considered the lost sheep as the “black sheep” who had gone astray or wandered from the path. However, she wonders now if that little lamb had become so bone tired and weary along the way that he simply laid down to rest because he was too tired to press on. She could understand that because she has felt that kind of physical, mental, and emotional pain and weariness. But now as she faces those moments of utter exhaustion, she can hear in her mind the Savior’s voice calling out, “Get up little lamb. Get up.” I have heard that voice at various times in my life and can testify that in our darkest hours, he is reaching down with his hand and multiple tender mercies to lift us up even as he bids us to arise and press forward.
I remember struggling through one of those rough days and thinking as I went to bed that night that I would just like to rest a long, long while. I really did not want to face the next day. However, immediately upon opening my eyes the following morning, before the cares of the previous day could descend upon my soul, I heard the Lord’s voice calling out to me in the words of one of our best loved pioneer hymns saying, “Gird up your loins, fresh courage take. Our god will never us forsake.” In that moment, I felt the Lord’s hand reaching out to lift me up and I was able to get out of bed and face the day with fresh hope and courage.
Yes, life is all about pressing forward through good times and bad, but Elder Anderson reminds us that when we press forward “with steadfastness in Christ [which] means having faith in Him and...making Him the central focus of [our] thoughts and actions, [then] pressing forward is the ultimate adventure,” and ultimately we can “find peace in difficulties [and] ...know with even greater certainty of His reality and His love for us.”
May pressing forward with steadfast faith in Christ fill you with strength and hope to engage in your amazing ultimate adventure.
May pressing forward with steadfast faith in Christ fill you with strength and hope to engage in your amazing ultimate adventure.
