Preparing for the Worst By Doing the Best

When we think about disasters in our lives we tend to think outwardly - natural disasters, job loss, economic disasters, death, or family issues. All of those things are awful. Homes and lives can be lost in natural disasters. During times of job loss or economy failures there are many other things that can happen, including losing a home, stress on our health, strain in family relationships. All of these things are terrible things to endure and we have all dealt with one or more of these things at some point in our lives. I would not wish any of these even on my worst enemy because I understand the struggling and suffering that accompany these situations. I still remember losing my job with the Davis Arts Council in Layton. I had a very pregnant wife, a small child and nothing else. The only thing that helped Steph and I get through that time was support of our families. Some of them stepped forward and offered a lot to us to help us get through it all. And we did.

In Elder's Quorum a few months ago we had a fantastic lesson on this subject. However, it was not about these disasters that I have laid out. It was about four other disasters that are in many ways worse than what has been said previously. I take most of this straight from a talk given by President Benson in 1986. The four other disasters are of an inward nature that can destroy us in ways that physical disasters never could. They are: despair, discouragement, despondency, and depression. These four disasters are Satan's greatest tools, especially in today's world.

Despair is simply put, the loss of hope. Hope is the want for better things. Discouragement means to dishearten or frighten. Again it deals with hope. According the Bible dictionary hope is the confident expectation of and longing for the promised blessings of righteousness. Despondency is feeling or showing profound hopelessness or gloom. With despondency the people around you see it. It shows in your demeanor and even on your face. People can see that you have something affecting you. Depression is sadness greater and more prolonged than that warranted by any objective reason. Depression is probably the hardest of the four to deal with because it can last the longest.

All four of these are a struggle to deal with, and sadly, they usually accompany each other. It is a struggle - there is no denying that. It is especially hard in today's world. Every where you look there is negativity throughout the world. It is difficult to even watch the news at night because of these things. There is the economy, sickness and disease, evil things and people of the world. Often I wish I could be as Nephi and shudder at the very sight of sin. How do we struggle to keep our heads above the darkened waters of today’s world?

Abraham Lincoln once said "When I do good I feel good, and when I do bad I feel bad." What a simple and elegant statement! I can’t think of an individual that cannot understand what that phrase means. If you asked the people of the world they would understand and probably agree with it. Most would even say that they do it! A lot of people live their lives in such a manner. People function on their emotions. It was drives people of the world to do what they do. The overall problem lies within what the world defines as “good” and “bad”.

Look at what the world considers good in our day. There are few people who feel that premarital sex is bad. I remember hearing people ask me before I was married why Stephanie and I were waiting until after we were married. Most of the questions posed to me were of this nature: “How can you know if you are compatible?” It was easy to explain to people that the biggest reason that we were waiting was because we wanted to be worthy to enter into the temple and be sealed for time and all eternity. If we decided not to wait we would not have been worthy, and then, unable to enter the temple. We didn’t worry about that compatibility because we knew that the blessings found inside the temple were far more important.

Language of the world today has taken a turn for the worse. It’s disheartening to be at school and listening to 1^st and 2^nd graders using language that is found in the sleaziest of establishments across the world. Some have no idea what they are saying, but some do. Very few people feel any wrong in littering their vernacular with profanities and obscenities of the most rank kind. In stating this I will be the first one to say that a few short years ago my thoughts were caught up with the way of the world’s. I felt no wrong in using colorful language because it helped me to “express who I really was”. As I think back to the language I used in high school I am quite ashamed because of the bad example I was to those around me, and for the damage control that had to be done by the youth of my stake because of my actions. The need for my “expression” was nothing but a public display of the lack of my intelligence. I see that now. I didn’t know “who I really was” at that point in my life. In later years I have come full circle to remember that I am a son of our Heavenly Father. I am a representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am a priesthood holder and a father and a husband. There is nothing to be gained from such putrid and stained language. I have become rather fond of words now, and I am always trying to learn of truly colorful ways in which to express myself. Obscenities are not colorful – they are sour and dank, but in today’s world we are continually surrounded with them.

The list could continue on with pornography, homosexuality, alcohol, drug use, theft, embezzlement, lying, divorce, smoking – the list of what the world considers good far outweighs the bad.

The world has begun to think that the idea of a family, meaning a man and woman legally married raising their children, is not such a need anymore. It’s been given a “what’s the point” attitude. Few people see the benefit of it anymore. “Why marry someone if you are just going to get divorced in a few short years?” “You don’t have to be married to have sex.” “My kids will be just fine with my wife raising them. They don’t need me.” Oh, the frailties and foolishness of people. They don’t realize that by destroying their current family they are more than likely, but not always, destroying their children’s future family. We are definitely products of our surroundings and if that is how a child is raised, that is what they tend to grow up being. It is hard for children to deal with such things. I have literally been laughed at in some of my classes by different students, who when misbehaving I have said “I’m going to call your mother” and then had the student only reply “Good luck finding her” or “If you get in touch with her tell her hi from me”. That is no exaggeration. They don’t understand the concept of a family unit and how beneficial it can be in their lives. This all falls back on the parents and their own selfish desires in their lives.

A simple thing like religion is frowned upon anymore as well. 15% of Americans do not identify themselves with any religion. That number may seem small, but it is up from 14.2% in 2001 and 8.2% in 1990. 27% of Americans believe that religion is old-fashioned and out of date. 34% of Americans would like to see religion have less of an influence in this nation, while only 24% of Americans would like to religion have more of an influence in this nation. These numbers have been steadily increasing year after year for the last 30 years. It says a lot about the direction that this nation is headed. The worst is yet ahead.

We as members of the church understand that these are the last days before the Savior’s return to the earth. We know that darker roads are ahead than the ones we are travailing right now. We know that things will get worse. This is not a pessimistic outlook – it is an outlook of faith. We recognize the signs that are found in the scriptures. We have faith that the Savior will return one day soon and by having the faith that that even will occur, we also have the faith the hard times of the future, as well as the good times, will come. We are preparing for such times. Satan’s forces grow stronger every day. His legions grow mighty in number. The whispers of sin are getting to be louder and more deceptive. We recognize these things and we are not afraid. We have a prophet who leads and guides us. We have our scriptures to turn to, as well as our patriarchal blessings. We have prayer and priesthood blessings to help us through the emotional disasters of despair, discouragement, despondency, and depression. We truly have no reason to let these four tools of the devil break our eternal stride.

If any of these disasters are plaguing you, turn to the Lord. Find a quiet, secluded spot and pour out your heart to him. He is listening. He is actually just waiting for you to turn to him so that he can provide the comfort that you are so earnestly seeking. Pray out loud. Many times in my life I have gone for a drive in my car to a peaceful spot where I would most likely be undisturbed and I have vocally prayed to my Father in Heaven for the guidance that was necessary in my life at that time. It always helped me feel the love of our Heavenly Father and it reminded me of what he wanted to do. Pray by yourself. Pray with your spouse. Pray with your family. If you are unsure of what the Lord would have you do, ask him. Many of us driving lost through the neighborhoods of life and will not “get out and ask for directions”. Just do it so you can get back on the correct path.

If you have the opportunity to receive a priesthood blessing from a worthy priesthood holder, do so. The wonderful thing about blessings is there has been no limit placed up the number or frequency of blessings that you receive. Many of us fall far short of what we should have received. Never be afraid to ask for the blessing you are in need of, especially if you do not feel worthy to receive said blessing. Remember, the Lord never turns his back on us – it’s we who turn our backs on him.

If there is a temple in your area – GO! There are very few acceptable excuses for a temple recommend holder to not attend the temple at least monthly. There is a peace to be found within the walls of the temple that cannot be obtained anywhere else on the earthly sphere. If you are not able to attend the temple at this time make the proper repairs to your life that will allow you to receive your temple recommend and then spend as much time there as you can. You will bless so many others by doing so, and in turn you will bless yourself. We know that the Savior walks the halls of His holy temples. Go there and be nearer to him.

Satan has the ‘4Ds’ – despair, discouragement, despondency, and depression. The Lord, through his prophet President Hinckley, gave us ‘6Bs’, and later added 3 more to them – be grateful, be smart, be clean, be true, be humble, be prayerful, be positive, be still, be involved. These ‘9Bs’ are the perfect defense to the '4Ds'. If we are nurturing our lives using the ‘9Bs’ there will be no time in our lives for the ‘4Ds’ to take root and start weeding us out. We always come out ahead. We will always remember who we are and what we stand for. We will lengthen our stride. We will turn from bad to good and from good to better, and eventually, from better to best. We will always have the Lord there to “lead me, guide me, walk beside me”.