We can choose to have faith, trust in God, and find joy during the storm.
Photo by Mike Wilson
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf‘s talk “Living the Gospel Joyful” was exactly what I needed to hear. I was halfway through my mission, and I felt that my obedience determined any hope of success for my mission area and for my life. I was overcome with feelings of inadequacy. When I heard his talk, I learned that finding joy is about seeing our lives for what they are—and still choosing to be joyful.
President Uchtdorf says that obedience “doesn’t always feel very joyful” because some commandments “seem harder or less appealing.” We sometime approach these less appealing commandments “with the enthusiasm of a child sitting before a plate of healthy but hated vegetables. We grit our teeth and force ourselves to comply so that we can move on to more desirable activities.”
He clarifies how we should really view commandments: “In reality, Heavenly Father is constantly raining blessings upon us. It is our fear, doubt, and sin that, like an umbrella, block these blessings from reaching us. His commandments are the loving instructions and the divine help for us to close the umbrella so we can receive the shower of heavenly blessings.”
In his message, President Uchtdorf displays an image of a girl standing among a sea of umbrellas with her face turned upward to catch the rain. That image spoke to me in a way that nothing else could. I have always loved rain. Even though rain often prevents us from doing things we want to do, we can choose to slow down and appreciate the rain in our lives.
By choosing to obey the Lord, we can leave behind the umbrellas of sin, fear, and doubt, and we can allow the blessings from heaven to wash over us. As we trust Heavenly Father, he will guide us to joyful gospel living.
Read President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s talk “Living the Gospel Joyful.”
Source: LDS General Conference
—Anna King, Mormon Insights contributor
feature image by craig whitehead
Find more insights:
Experience the joy in this short video, “A Shower of Heavenly Blessings.”
Check out how Tiffany Webster overcomes her battle with perfectionism in “The Perfect Lie.”
I really like how you say that “we can choose to slow down and appreciate the rain in our lives.” Like you, I love the rain, and I always like to go out and stand in it whenever it comes even if only for a few seconds. I wonder how much happier my life would be if I took the same approach to blessings, by taking just a few seconds to notice them when they come.