Strength in the Struggle

By Brandon Page

It can be hard to put hours of work into something and perceive that your efforts didn’t return the results you expected. You might ask yourself if you are making any real progress or if your efforts are worthwhile. I have had this feeling many times as I have taken college classes over the years and although it is frustrating, I know that every time I put effort into my work I have grown and gained some further understanding. In the moment it can be hard to perceive, but as I look back on where I was as a freshman to where I am now, I can see that I have learned and accomplished a lot.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, an apostle of the Lord, shared this about these moments in our lives that I enjoyed reading, “In stories, as in life, adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise. Adversity helps to develop a depth of character that comes in no other way. Our loving Heavenly Father has set us in a world filled with challenges and trials so that we, through opposition, can learn wisdom, become stronger, and experience joy.” I believe these words are true and when I have looked for encouragement in these moments, I have found the strength to keep trying through Jesus Christ.

I had the opportunity yesterday to listen to another apostle of the Lord named Ulisses Soares and when he spoke to us he testified of the Savior’s love for us, and in that moment I could tangibly feel that love. It was a wave of emotion and warm gratitude and I felt renewed in my desire to do my best. One of the things this servant of the Lord shared with us was the invitation to make more time for the Lord in our lives. He urged us to find simple ways to make Him more of the focus in our lives and that by doing so we would have the promise that the Lord would make more of our lives than we could ourselves. He also shared this wonderful scripture in Abraham 2: 16

Abraham was guided by the Lord to leave his homeland and was taken to a promised land. The journey was full of challenges, but Abraham focused on the promises the Lord had made to him and he found comfort and shelter in them.

“Therefore, eternity was our covering and our rock and our salvation, as we journeyed from Haran by the way of Jershon, to come to the land of Canaan.”

Elder Soares testified that the promises of eternity can also be our strength and shelter as we place our focus on the Savior and turn to Him in every thought. I tested that promise today when I took a test that I was not prepared for, and even though I felt disappointed, turning my thoughts towards the Savior and on how much He had blessed me to learn up to that point comforted me and gave me the motivation to continue striving to learn throughout the day.

Collecting happy memories

By Juliana Lemos

When we were kids, my brothers and I collected comic books. They ranged from daily funny stories to the most complex adventures involving superheroes, mysteries, and treasures. I still remember the comforting feeling of reading them on calm evenings, and I am sure I read every single one of them at least five times.

When I reached the end of my teenage years, I realized we didn’t have comic books anymore since most got lost during the times we moved. The other half of them was donated, and some didn’t stand the test of time. The solution to my empty shelves was to begin a brand new collection, but what should I collect?

Recently in my personal scripture studies, I have been studying the role of adversity in this mortal life. Just like my comics deteriorating over time, we can feel our happiness fading because of challenges, disappointments, and hardships. Pondering about that, I came across some inspiring quotes that helped open my understanding.

President Nelson once shared: “[We] can be happy under every circumstance. We can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year!”. So that’s it! I will collect happy memories! Despite our circumstances, the Lord provides us with the needed help to endure. Even when we need to cry sometimes, we can fill our sore hearts with the certainty that happy memories will prevail if we choose to trust Him.