I have prayed earnestly concerning the topic I have been asked to address\u2014that we pray not for light burdens but for strong backs. I have come to understand that to honestly pray for a strong back is a very courageous thing to do. The spiritual exercise required is not an easy course, but the promised blessings make it worthy of our total commitment\u2014whatever the cost.<\/p>\n
I learned of the importance of a strong back when I was about ten years old.<\/p>\n
In the summertime after we had put in a full day\u2019s work, my father would take me down to the Belly River near the edge of our small Canadian town, Glenwood, not far from the Alberta Temple in Cardston. There he taught me to swim. Not only to swim but also to eventually jump off the pier into the cold water and swim upstream against the current. It wasn\u2019t easy. It took a lot of courage and determination\u2014yes, and a lot of encouragement from my dad. As I recall, the water was always cold and it seemed very swift to me. What made it possible was my father swimming along beside me. I can hear his voice in my mind even today: \u201cYou can make it. Keep going.\u201d By the end of the summer, my back was stronger from the consistent effort and constant encouragement. The water in the river had receded, and the swiftness of the current had subsided considerably\u2014but only after I had learned the lesson. There must be opposition if we are to develop strength. The river had served the purpose my father had in mind.<\/p>\n
Today we must be prepared to swim upstream against the current. We face tremendous opposition. President Hinckley recently spoke of the challenges we face:<\/p>\n
In the Church we are working very hard to stem the tide of . . . evil. But it is an uphill battle, and we sometimes wonder whether we are making any headway. But we are succeeding in a substantial way. . . .<\/i><\/p>\n
We must not give up. We must not become discouraged.<\/i> [\u201cStanding Strong and Immovable,\u201d Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, 10 January 2004 (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2004), 20]<\/p>\n
Sisters, we must be strong enough to take a stand, to defend our values, and courageous enough to speak up and speak out, to register our vote and stand firm for truth and righteousness under all circumstances. We are swimming upstream against a river of opposition. Our families need our constant encouragement, reassurance, love, and faith. We will never be given more than we can handle with the Lord\u2019s help.<\/p>\n
When we pray for a strong back, we learn that it is through our covenants with the Lord that we are strengthened far beyond our natural ability. The testimony of President George Q. Cannon explains this relationship:<\/p>\n
When we went forth into the waters of baptism and covenanted with our Father in heaven to serve Him and keep His commandments, He bound Himself also by covenant to us that He would never desert us, never leave us to ourselves, never forget us, that in the midst of trials and hardships, when everything was arrayed against us, He would be near unto us and would sustain us.<\/i> [Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon,<\/i> sel., arr., and ed. Jerreld L. Newquist (n.p.: <\/i>Zion\u2019s Bookstore, 1957), 1:170]<\/p>\n
Honoring our covenants is the only way to swim against the escalating opposition of our day. When we are baptized and confirmed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost. Each week we have the blessing and opportunity to strengthen our backs and fill our spiritual reservoir. We renew our covenants by partaking of the sacred emblems of the sacrament. We hear in our mind and heart the words of the covenant to \u201calways <\/i>remember him and keep his commandments\u201d so we can \u201calways<\/i> have his Spirit to be with [us]\u201d (D&C 20:77<\/a>). This should be our most earnest desire. Nothing will prepare us to stand against the opposing forces like the blessing and power of the gift of the Holy Ghost.<\/p>\n The Holy Ghost is the messenger who provides personal revelation, communication, and connection with our Father in Heaven and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Suppose we were to make a pledge to do all within our power to keep the communication lines open. Suppose there were no compromise, no justification, and no excuse to tolerate any enticement of the world\u2014in our entertainment or other activities\u2014that would lessen the Spirit. Let us strive every day to avoid anything that could weaken our spirit and extinguish the light. Let us simply give it up, turn our backs, and walk away.<\/p>\n Elder David B. Haight helps us understand the strength that can be found in our temple covenants, not only for our backs but for every fiber of our soul. He says:<\/p>\n A temple is a place in which those whom <\/i>[God] has chosen <\/i>[that\u2019s all of us] are endowed with power from on high\u2014a power which enables us to use our gifts and capabilities with greater intelligence and increased effectiveness in order to bring to pass our Heavenly Father\u2019s purposes in our own lives and the lives of those we love. . . .<\/i><\/p>\n Come to the temples worthily and regularly. . . . Freely partake of the promised personal revelation that may bless your life with power, knowledge, light, beauty, and truth from on high, which will guide you and your posterity to eternal life.<\/i> [\u201cCome to the House of the Lord<\/a>,\u201d Ensign,<\/i> May 1992, 15\u201316]<\/p>\n A very significant chapter in the Book of Mormon tells of Father Lehi explaining to his son Jacob the need for opposition. \u201cFor it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not, . . . righteousness could not be brought to pass\u201d (2 Nephi 2:11<\/a>). The very purpose of this life is for us to be tried and tested in preparation to receive all the blessings the Lord has promised those who love Him and keep the commandments (see D&C 136:31<\/a>).<\/p>\n We can expect trials and tribulation\u2014they are an essential part of the great plan. Some we will experience because of our own mistakes\u2014our sins\u2014others merely as a part of living in mortality, and others because the Lord loves us and provides experiences that tend to our spiritual growth. \u201cWhom the Lord loveth he chasteneth\u201d (Hebrews 12:6<\/a>). It doesn\u2019t seem so hard once we understand the purpose for the trials. There are times when we must trust in the Lord with all our hearts even when we don\u2019t understand (see Proverbs 3:5<\/a>).<\/p>\n As Elder Bruce Hafen teaches,<\/p>\n If you have problems in your life, don\u2019t assume there is something wrong with you. Struggling with those problems is at the very core of life\u2019s purpose. As we draw close to God, He will show us our weaknesses and through them make us wiser, stronger.<\/i> [\u201cThe Atonement: All for All<\/a>,\u201d Ensign,<\/i> May 2004, 97]<\/p>\n Some years ago, Sister Jana Taylor, one of our faithful sister missionaries who committed to be totally obedient and strive to have the Spirit with her always, had some very difficult, discouraging, and challenging times\u2014not unlike a typical mission. If one is committed to really make a difference, it seems the adversary is right there to increase the swiftness of the current, to increase the opposition that would, if possible, carry us downstream away from our goal. The last day before Sister Taylor was to return home from her mission, she stood before her peers to testify. She had a glow about her, a confidence different than when she arrived. \u201cI\u2019m thankful,\u201d she said, \u201cfor the challenges and the trials. I\u2019m thankful for every single hard day.\u201d She paused, then added, \u201cAnd every day was hard. If it hadn\u2019t been, I wouldn\u2019t be who I am now. I am not the same person I was when I came out.\u201d And because of those hard times she will never be the same person again. She had, as the scripture says, grown up in the Lord (see D&C 109:15<\/a>). And her growth will continue.<\/p>\n The writings of Orson F. Whitney help us understand the need for adversity:<\/p>\n No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God. . . . And it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we came here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.<\/i> [Quoted in Spencer W. Kimball, Tragedy or Destiny<\/a>,<\/i> Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year (6 December 1955), 6]<\/p>\n While serving in the Alberta Temple the past 3 years, I witnessed many people with strong backs. Some were stooped with age and others who had traveled long distances to enter into the walls of the temple. I\u2019m not talking about the physical distance of miles or kilometers, but about the inward desire, about their priorities and commitment.<\/p>\n One day a young woman, Annae Jensen, came to the temple to receive her endowment. I could feel the radiance of her spirit. This young woman was born without any arms\u2014nothing beyond her shoulders. However, it was almost as though she had lost awareness of her physical limitation and had been spiritually compensated.<\/p>\n Just this past month, my husband and I received a call from Annae and Garath Jones telling us of their blessing and excitement. I asked her for permission to share part of their story. They are expecting their first baby in just a few months\u2014the beginning of their posterity. Into my mind I saw this faithful young mother without arms and thought of her desire to cradle and love this special little spirit.<\/p>\n I asked Annae, knowing she would respond positively, \u201cHow have you learned to handle the hard things in life?\u201d<\/p>\n In her usual happy, upbeat tone, she said, \u201cI just say, \u2018Heavenly Father, what am I supposed to learn from this?\u2019 And if I don\u2019t learn it, I\u2019ve missed an opportunity.\u201d While Annae is without arms, her back is strong. She has developed spirituality under what would appear to be adversity. There is no question\u2014that baby will be enshrouded with its mother\u2019s love.<\/p>\n We have many examples in the Book of Mormon that show us how the Lord intervenes when we turn to Him and how trials and tribulation turn to our good. When Alma and his people were being persecuted by Amulon\u2014the leader of the priests of the wicked King Noah\u2014they began to pray \u201cmightily to God\u201d (Mosiah 24:10<\/a>). The voice of the Lord came to the people of Alma, just as it will come to us. The Lord said, \u201cI know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage\u201d (Mosiah 24:13<\/a>).<\/p>\n From this record we learn several very significant lessons. The steps toward the complete delivery from bondage did not happen all at once. Alma\u2019s people were told that the Lord would first ease the burdens on their backs, even to the extent that they wouldn\u2019t even be able to feel them. The Lord did not take them away completely. There was a reason. It would not have allowed for the growth that took place as they learned to trust in Him. The Lord explained this when He said, \u201cThis 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\u201d (Mosiah 24:14<\/a>). Learning to carry the burden with ease allowed them to testify from personal experience that the Lord does watch over us in our adversities.<\/p>\n We can follow these steps as we apply the pattern in our own lives.<\/p>\n And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord<\/i>. [Mosiah 24:15<\/a>]<\/p>\n And the lesson continues. Because of their great faith and patience through their trials, the Lord spoke to them again. He would not only ease their burdens, but as He had promised in the beginning, He would deliver them. \u201cBe of good comfort,\u201d He said, \u201cfor on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage\u201d (Mosiah 24:16<\/a>).<\/p>\n We know about our Savior, but it is often in our adversities that we truly find Him and know Him and love Him. In our times of trial, if we turn to Him, the Spirit bears witness that our Savior not only can, but will, ease our burdens. I can testify from my own experience in life, that some of our heaviest burdens, disappointments, and heartaches can in time be replaced with \u201cthe peace of God, which passeth all understanding\u201d (Phillipians 4:7<\/a>) while \u201cwe wait upon the Lord\u201d (Isaiah 40:31<\/a>).<\/p>\n In the words of Elder Neal A. Maxwell, we read,<\/p>\n We can say: \u201cI know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things\u201d (1 Nephi 11:17<\/a>.)<\/i><\/p>\n There have been and will be times in each of our lives when such faith must be the bottom line: We don\u2019t know what is happening to us or around us, but we know that God loves us, and knowing that, for the moment, is enough.<\/i> [Not My Will, But Thine<\/i> (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988), 119]<\/p>\n Sisters, we have a work to do. Our trials and tests are an important part of our preparation. The Lord is counting on us.<\/p>\n Now let us consider the possibility of burdens on our backs of our own making. Some would think that by filling up their daily planners with activities, events, and lists of good things to do, it defines them as being successful. But the burden slowly gets heavier and heavier, and without noticing it, they are in danger of being hunched over with osteoporosis. \u201cOh my aching back\u201d or \u201cMy back is breaking\u201d might be the shout for relief at such times.<\/p>\n President Kimball\u2019s statement about life invites some thoughtful contemplation. He says, \u201cSince immortality and eternal life constitute the sole purpose of life, all other interests and activities are but incidental thereto\u201d (The Miracle of Forgiveness<\/i> [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969], 2). Now does that suggest there should be no time for fun, sports, scrapbooking\u2014yes, shopping\u2014and fancy parties? Of course not! We need to make time to do other worthwhile things, as long as they do not distract from what matters most, the very purpose of life.<\/p>\n Deciding what we really want is a very significant and powerful tool. It gives us a sense of being in control of our life, rather than being controlled. You see, the feeling of being controlled, or being out of control, is contrary to our divine nature. We cannot feel the Spirit or the peace and joy of each day when we are burdened beyond our ability to handle it all. I believe that if it were possible, the adversary would keep us busily engaged in a multitude of good things in an effort to distract us from the few vital things that make all the difference.<\/p>\n Now this task of cutting back on some of our activities is really the hard part. It may seem as painful as cutting off an arm or a leg. It requires determination. Pruning is hard. It can come only after pondering and praying to know what we\u2019re willing to cut out to provide more time for what we really desire. I love Michael McLean\u2019s song \u201cHold On, the Light Will Come.\u201d As we look at our busy lives, we might sing, \u201cLet go of some things so the light can come.\u201d<\/p>\n In the Book of Mormon, the writings of Zenos teach us the need for pruning, cutting back, and thinning the branches. The Lord of the vineyard looks at his dying trees and says to the dedicated servant what we might say when we have concerns for the welfare of our family: \u201cWhat could I have done more in my vineyard? Have I slackened my hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it\u201d (Jacob 5:47<\/a>). We might echo his lamentation, saying, \u201cI\u2019ve worked all day long, even into the night. What else might I have done?\u201d (see Jacob 5:47, 49<\/a>). Sound familiar? It sounds like complete dedication doesn\u2019t it? The servant then explains the problem. It wasn\u2019t a lack of dedication or hard work. The branches of the tree\u2014like our overcrowded lives\u2014had \u201covercome the roots,\u201d or grown faster than the roots, \u201ctaking strength unto themselves\u201d and leaving the roots undernourished (Jacob 5:48<\/a>). We are not left to wonder what nourishes our own roots. It is time spent together. It is in following the words of the prophet\u2014including the guidance given in \u201cThe Family: A Proclamation to the World<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The first responsibility to ease the burden on our backs rests with us. We must take time to ponder,<\/i> to pray,<\/i> and to prune.<\/i> Perhaps it would be a good idea to ponder the question Nephi was asked when he was swept away by the Spirit in chapter 11 of 1 Nephi. We learn that Nephi must have spent some time thinking and pondering when the Spirit said to him, \u201cWhat desirest thou?\u201d Nephi was prepared with an answer. If we were asked in answer to our prayers, \u201cWhat desirest thou?\u201d would we be ready with an answer? Do we know what it is we really want? Not only what we want, but more importantly, what we want to have happen and why?<\/p>\n I can hear one of my darling nieces say something like, \u201cWhat I most desire is to make it through the whole day without being impatient or raising my voice. Or just to catch my breath for a few moments before the troops come home. Or just to feel loved, appreciated, and in control.\u201d Certainly those desires are reasonable and real, but when time is provided to get an eternal perspective and see beyond the urgencies of the day, our perspective changes. We are willing, even anxious, to do some pruning, some cutting back if that would provide more time for the things we most desire.<\/p>\n I have been impressed with the moving account of Emma Smith\u2019s most earnest desires at a very challenging time in her life. We read of when her husband decided to return to Carthage:<\/p>\n Emma asked [him] to give her a blessing. The Prophet told her to write the best blessing she could desire. He promised her that upon his return, he would sign it for her.<\/i> [In Relief Society Courses of Study, 1985<\/i> (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1984), 199]<\/p>\n That tells us something about the confidence the Prophet had in the desires of Emma\u2019s heart. He never returned from Carthage. But we have a record of her desires at that fateful time in her life. She wrote nine things she most desired. The first sentence used the words \u201cI . . . crave,\u201d and the following nine \u201cI desire.\u201d I would like to share with you her first and last statements:<\/p>\n First of all that I would crave as the richest of heaven\u2019s blessings would be wisdom from my Heavenly Father bestowed daily, so that whatever I might do or say, I could not look back at the close of the day with regret, nor neglect the performance of any act that would bring a blessing.<\/i><\/p>\n She completed her list of ten with this statement: \u201cFinally, I desire that whatever may be my lot through life I may be enabled to acknowledge the hand of God in all things\u201d (in Relief Society Courses of Study 1985,<\/i> 199). Under the most severe testing during that crucial time in the history of the Church, Emma Smith\u2019s desires tells us something of the strength of her back.<\/p>\n There are courageous women among us today and those who will follow after us when we do our part. In the poetic words of a Mormon pioneer, Vilate C. Raile, we see this legacy of faith passed from one generation to the next.<\/p>\n They cut desire into short lengths<\/i><\/p>\n And fed it to the hungry fire of courage,<\/i><\/p>\n Long after\u2014when the flames died\u2014<\/i><\/p>\n Molten gold gleamed in the ashes.<\/i><\/p>\n They gathered it into bruised palms<\/i><\/p>\n And handed it to their children<\/i><\/p>\n And their children\u2019s children.<\/i><\/p>\n [Cited in Asahel D. Woodruff, Parent and Youth<\/i> (Salt Lake City: Deseret Sunday School Union Board, 1971), 124]<\/p>\n Sisters, we are on the Lord\u2019s errand. We can have His Spirit to be with us always, with angels round about us to bear us up. Today I pay tribute to my great-grandmother Susan Kent Greene and her unwavering testimony.<\/p>\n In 1835 Susan married Evan M. Greene and soon after went to Kirtland to live. They were among the first of the Mormon fugitives at Mount Pisgah, Iowa, in the early spring of 1846. We read,<\/p>\n As soon as Evan pitched the tent he left his wife and their little ones while he went with his team and wagon to aid in bringing forward some of the saints who were without means of their own. Unfortunately for Susan she had no near neighbors. Almost as soon as her husband had gone the eleven-month old baby became ill. The baby rapidly grew worse, and after a few days died in its mother\u2019s arms. This occurred on a dark and stormy night accompanied by loud thunderbolts and vivid lightening flashes. All she could do was to pray that the Lord would not forsake her, but would send someone to help her, which prayer was answered. A young man came to the door and spoke words of pity and comfort. In the morning he made a coffin and dug a grave for the baby and buried it. Susan had to prepare the little body for its last rest, herself.<\/i> [Lula Greene Richards, \u201cLife Sketch of Susan Kent Greene,\u201d typescript, in author\u2019s possession]<\/p>\n This was only the beginning of the tests that were to follow.<\/p>\n Evan and Susan arrived in Utah, having endured much, she wrote the following on the first page of her journal dated February 3, 1875:<\/p>\n I make this covenant to do the very best I can, asking God for wisdom to direct me in that I may walk with Him in all righteousness and truth. I much desire to be pure in heart that I may see God. Help me, Lord, to overcome all evil with good. Signed: Susan K. Green.<\/i><\/p>\n This covenant with the writings on this page is written with my blood and I have not broken my covenant and trust shall not. Signed: Susan K. Greene.<\/i> [Quoted in Ardeth Greene Kapp, \u201c\u2018I Shall Know They Are True\u2019: Susan Kent Greene,\u201d in Heroines of the Restoration,<\/i> ed. Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1999), 87\u201388]<\/p>\n I look forward to one day meeting my great-grandmother and pray that I can tell her that I have followed her path and kept the faith and all of the covenants.<\/p>\n With an understanding of the purpose of life, of our promised blessings as women of the covenant, and of the need for opposition, let us be grateful that God allows us to struggle, to cry, and to feel pain. Else how could we comfort others in their tribulation? (See 2 Corinthians 1:6<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Let us be grateful to know about hurt and healing. Else how could we know the Healer, the Great Physician, who invites us to come unto Him and be healed? (See D&C 42:48<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Let us be grateful to know about fear and faith. Else how would we recognize the light of faith after the dark night of fear? (See D&C 6:36<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Let us be grateful to know about discouragement and encouragement. Else how could we reach out and take another\u2019s hand in empathy, understanding, and love? (See John 13:34<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Let us be grateful to know about offenses and forgiveness. Else how could we ever begin to appreciate the Atonement? (See Alma 7:11<\/a>.)<\/p>\n