a story for my sister

The following excerpt--with emphasis being mine-- is from a BYU-Idaho Devotional Speech given by Susan A. Bednar in 2002. The title of the talk is "To Look" and the whole text can be found at:

http://www.byui.edu/Presentations/transcripts/devotionals/2002_09_10_bednars.htm

Sister Bednar:

Do we sometimes harden our hearts and underestimate the value of incorporating simple gospel principles in our lives because we feel they won't assist or heal us? Please allow me to share with you an incident from my life where I refused for a time to look.

When I was not much older than many of you, my husband was enrolled in a demanding doctoral program at Purdue University far away from our families and familiar surroundings. We had two small children, very little money, limited time to spend together as a family, and we were having difficulty balancing the rigors of graduate school, family responsibilities, and church assignments. Does this situation sound familiar? Well, this daunting task began to take its toll, and I found myself feeling very overwhelmed with my responsibilities as a wife and a "stay-at-home mother." The feelings I felt were not necessarily unique to me or my circumstances. Many of you may experience some of these same challenges and emotions while you are here at BYU–Idaho.

After considerable contemplation, I remember asking my husband for a priesthood blessing. In this blessing I was promised that I could begin to better cope with my difficulties if I would exercise consistently, get more sleep, eat properly, have meaningful prayer night and morning, and engage in daily scripture study. The reason I remember so vividly the instruction I received is because I thought afterwards: "This is going to solve my problems? These are standard 'Sunday School' answers. Besides, I'm already doing some of these things." Does this attitude sound a bit hard-hearted? Maybe if the message had been to take a vacation to the beach, or sign up for an art class, or have my nails done, I would have been more receptive to the counsel. I guess I was searching for different solutions, and I balked at the banality of what I had been counseled to do.

I pondered the blessing, and over a period of time I came to know and understand that these inspired admonitions were plain and simple, yet profound. As I moved from casual observance to a more steadfast and heartfelt implementation of these principles in my life, I discovered a sense of emotional peace, a feeling of physical well-being, and a spiritual confidence that brought tremendous blessings to my life. Like those in Moses' day, all I had to do was to "look!"

I invite you to ponder how you can make these gospel principles a part of your daily life. Instead of thinking of all the reasons why you can't exercise regularly, go to bed at a reasonable hour, eat a balanced diet, pray morning and night, or study your scriptures daily, please consider the emotional, physical, and spiritual blessings that will come if you do apply these teachings with full purpose of heart and real intent. Don't be blinded by the seeming simplicity or easiness of the way. You, too, can be assisted in your challenges and have the strength to accept the vicissitudes of life with assurance. All you have to do is "look!"

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The reason I titled this post "A story for my sister" is because we recently had a conversation and Deni told me that she has essentially been doing these things lately (since Ed Week when she got inspired) and she is the happiest she's been in a long time. Denise, like Sister Bednar, had been doing some of those things for a long time, but especially the exercise and getting enough sleep were new to her routine and she can really tell a difference.

So, when we're struggling with life, we need to check the list (exercise consistently, sleep enough, eat right, pray, and scripture study) and see what we need to improve upon and not be like Naaman the Leper who almost wasn't healed because he didn't think what the prophet told him to do would make a difference. These things will make a difference. Just ask my sister.