Of Good Cheer in the Unfolding Process

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Afternoon Session of the October 1982 Conference.

Sometimes as I read these talks from 40 years ago, I am struck by how similar they sound to the talks given today—similar counsel, similar problems being addressed, similar emphases. But other times I am amazed by how literally prophetic they are, speaking of problems that weren't as prevalent back then as they are now, and warning about these problems before they were even on most people's radar.

Elder Marvin J. Ashton and Elder Neal A. Maxwell both gave that kind of prophetic talk in this session, and they were both so good and so pertinent, I almost couldn't believe they weren't being written right now. Elder Ashton talked about dealing with opposition to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He says,

It seems to me there has never been a period in history when it has been more important for us to be engaged in pure religion as taught by the Savior. This religion is not to retaliate, or to exchange in kind, evil actions or unkind statements. Pure religion encompasses the ability to cherish, to build up, and to turn the other cheek in place of destroying and tearing down. Blessed are they who strive to serve Him without wasting time faulting Him or those who serve Him. 

But then he also reminds us (and this is where I so often struggle!) that we shouldn't waste time being mad at those who do "fault Him and those who serve Him!":

The poet Robert Frost once defined education as “the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.” Probably we will never be free of those who are openly anti-Mormon. Therefore, we encourage all our members to refuse to become anti-anti-Mormon… 

To keep ourselves unspotted from the world requires taking charge of and ruling our lives from within, accepting responsibility for our own actions, and choosing the role of peacemaker rather than retaliator when those around us are critical or spread false propaganda. 

It seems like such great counsel for these angry, rush-to-judgement times we live in!

The other prophetic counsel was from Elder Maxwell, and I was so struck by his prophetic words about what I think of as the twin plagues of our times, Depression and Anxiety. He says:

The coming decades will be times of despair. Why? Because, as Moroni said, despair comes of iniquity…The more iniquity, the more despair. And unless there is widespread repentance, despair will both deepen and spread… 

Alas, brothers and sisters, we likewise live in a time when the love of many will wax cold.  Fear will therefore increase. Why? Because when men fear, it is because we are not perfect in love. The less love, the more fear—as well as the more war!

I think Elder Maxwell meant this as more of a pronouncement about society than about individuals—these plagues of our time are influenced by cultural climate, the choices of others, societal and familial decay, and so forth. But his talk gives so much great counsel on how to combat that despair and fear that Satan wants us to feel!

To be cheerful when others are in despair, to keep the faith when others falter, to be true even when we feel forsaken—all of these are deeply desired outcomes during the deliberate, divine tutorials which God gives to us—because He loves us…These learning experiences must not be misread as divine indifference. Instead, such tutorials are a part of the divine unfolding.

And my favorite part of the talk:

Jesus calls upon us to have a deliberate trust in God’s unfolding purposes, not only for all humankind but for us individually. And we are to be of good cheer in the unfolding process.

Sometimes it's so much easier to believe in God's plan for "all humankind." But I falter all the time in trusting his plan for me. Waiting to understand what I am to do and how I am to do it; waiting to know the things I want to know—those things are SO hard for me! After waiting a little while, I think I have learned patience, and then I realize as I continue to wait that I still need to develop MORE patience, and the whole cycle seems very slow and frustrating! So I have a great need for this reminder to not only trust that things ARE unfolding for my good—but also to be grateful and happy AS the unfolding happens, and for however long it takes!

Other posts in this series:

• http://www.jrganymede.com/2019/02/19/be-of-good-cheer
• https://www.reliefsocietywomen.com/2019/02/17/can-we-really-feel-gospel-gladness/