Developing My "Soul Power"

I am blessed to have amazing people with a strong trust in the Lord around me. One of those people is a sister in my ward. Her husband just had brain surgery to remove a tumor a couple of weeks ago and now he is slowly recovering, learning to walk and talk and all of the important tasks that many of us often take for granted. It was a scary first week with a few problems and setbacks, but he is looking good now. His wife came to church on Sunday and shared her testimony. It was so special for me to hear her speak about her confidence in the Lord and His plan, that He is perfect and so is what He requires of us in this life.

I have also been thinking of a sister who used to be in our ward a few years ago. Not long after they moved into our ward, her husband was in an accident and died. Of course it was very difficult for her, but she came to church and shared her wonderful spirit and testimony with all of us. I couldn't imagine being in that situation and being as accepting of the Lord's will as she was.

Hopefully I am building up my faith enough day by day so that if I am in a life-changing situation in my life, I can react as these dear sisters did. I cannot wait until the day I need my faith to start to strengthen it. I'm so glad to know these women and to see what a difference our attitude and faith makes in our trials, which affects our blessings in this life and the next.

"In these defining moments, the crisis doesn't create one's character it reveals it." Lynn G. Robbins, "Tithing, a Commandment Even for the Destitute," Ensign, May 2005, 34

"Trust [the Lord], even when in eternal perspective it temporarily hurts very much. Have patience when you are asked to wait when you want immediate action. . . . The path you are to walk through life may be very different from others. You may not always know why He does what He does, but you can know that He is perfectly just and perfectly merciful."

Elder Richard G. Scott , "Obtaining Help from the Lord," Ensign, November 1991, p. 86]

"Seen with the perspective of eternity, a temporal setback can be an opportunity to develop soul power of eternal significance. Strength is forged in adversity. Faith is developed in a setting where we cannot see what lies ahead."
Dallin H. Oaks, “Spirituality,” Ensign, Nov. 1985, 61