3-23-2010
Dear Family,
I hope this message finds everyone doing well. I’ve wanted to send a letter home like this for quite some time; I’ve sought the guidance of the Spirit while pondering what I was going to write. I hope this message can help all of you in one way or another. My hope is that it truly will.
The Lord challenges us. We all have trials. I am positive we have trials because our Heavenly Father loves us. If we endure through the trial with faith, we receive blessings. In D&C 58:4, it says, “For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand." I testify that this scripture is truth!
Again, we all have hard tasks and situations we are put in. But we have help! Allow me to compare it to a video game. Back in the day, when a video game was really hard for us, we wanted to get the “Strategy Guide” for that game. The “Strategy Guide” told us everything that we had to do in that game. But even when we used the “Strategy Guide” the game was still hard at times!
Each and every one of us is in a game called “Our Life on Earth.” We have a “Strategy Guide” that we can use to make this game easier. This “Strategy Guide” is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When we follow after this Gospel, things ARE easier. I testify that is true. But – just like the video game – even when we use the “Strategy Guide”, the game can still be tough. My message: Even when we are doing everything we are supposed to be doing by following the Gospel of Christ, we will still have those hard times. Why? Because trials and challenges are part of His Gospel too.
The solution is simple: Be obedient and keep on pressing forward! That is my new motto. I know that if we continually do this, blessings will come. I promise each and every one of you.
I have some more advice. My first word of advice: NOTHING can substitute the Gospel. I will demonstrate and example from my life. As you all know, mom and dad’s divorce was hard for me. I’m not quite sure if I’ve ever told anyone this, but I even had days where I really questioned if the Gospel was true! During those times, my solution for happiness was simple: Listen to my music and talk to my friends. And you know what? I worked for a while! But what happened when the music would stop playing or when my friends would stop talking? I would fall into a state of sadness – I felt empty.
I thought I found the solution a year or two later: My family. “If I put my family first, I will be happier”, were my thoughts. And guess what? I was happier! But there was still something missing.
I went through a transformation from 2008 up until the time I left on my mission. I began being OBEDIENT and doing those things I knew I was supposed to be doing – prayer, scripture study, etc. By doing so, that emptiness vanished over time. The Spirit was consistently with me – I was a ton happier!
My point: We need to put the Gospel first. I’m not saying we shouldn’t listen to music, talk to friends, etc. I testify that if we put the Gospel first in our lives and do those things we know we should be doing, things WILL be easier. The trials will STILL be there, but you will have the Spirit to guide you. There is no other way. There is no substitute for the Gospel!
We can’t always control the situations God allows to happen to us. The divorce was hard – it still is. But I know God allowed it to happen because He loves us. He never – NEVER! – puts us in a situation we cannot handle. But how do we handle it? My advice (again): The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the ONLY way! Christ has been through EVERYTHING; you can’t deny that, otherwise you are denying His infinite atonement. Live is Gospel. Be obedient and keep on pressing on. It is the only way to obtain true happiness. Basically: We can choose to be either obedient or disobedient.
Learn to love these challenges God gives us. The blessings will come, my beloved family. But we have to endure with the Spirit. It’s hard, but it’s possible. I testify that it is. I am a witness of the blessings that come from doing these things. I love you all. I hope, again, that everyone understood the importance of this message. Thank you for your examples, your love and your support.
Con amor,
Elder Nelson IV
D&C 122:7
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