They hushed their fears

We used this talk by Elder Bednar in April 2015 for our Relief Society lesson a few weeks ago, and I was able to make a real interesting connection that I never made before.

Elder Bednar began his talk by telling a story about when he was young and broke a window and the fear he felt. Our instructor asked us if there was ever a time that we felt fear. Immediately a day came to mind. We had received some scary news. The entire day I was completely overwhelmed by worry and fear. I cried a lot. In my mind I went through countless "what if" scenarios, each one getting progressively scarier.

As we continued to talk about the talk, I thought more about that day, and the days that came shortly after. How was I able to overcome the fears I felt so acutely that day?

I remembered Family Home Evening that very night. We talked about the story of Manna from heaven. I asked the kids why, did they think, that the Israelites gathered too much manna. They, as young children, thought that they wanted to avoid having to work the next day. As we talked another possibility came to my mind. Maybe they were scared it wouldn't be there the next day. As I shared this thought with the kids I felt the Spirit say, "see! The Lord has taken care of you before, and he will again."

Another thing I remember distinctly about that night is that I felt a strong desire to be in the temple. All of the kids had gone back to school, and were in school all day, so I decided to have Brian drop me off at the Provo temple on his way to work (and I would take the bus home). I didn't receive any earth-shattering answers that day, but I felt the peace of being in the Lord's house, which was what I so desperately needed.

In the weeks that followed, I spent a lot of time in prayer. I encouraged Brian to ask for a Priesthood blessing, and our dear friend (our Bishop) came and gave him a wonderful blessing. I feel like the Lord was talking as much to me as to him that day.

I also realized the impact of others' prayers on our behalf. Our former Bishop prayer for Brian publicly one Sunday (without mentioning the specific trial). My heart was so touched, and I truly felt the strength that came from his prayer and others that I know were being offered for us.

That was a lot that went on in my brain during just a few minutes of the lesson, but this is where I made the connection.

Elder Bednar teaches us to "Look to Christ . .  .Build on a foundation of faith in Christ . . . [and] Press Forward with Faith in Christ.]

I realized that the Lord was able to help me feel peace and overcome my fears because I was doing the things that would help me look to Christ and build my foundation on Him. I was putting myself in the places and situations that helped me feel close to Him and that helped me remember the promises he has made to me. 

Now, I know that this epiphany is really nothing new. But there was something powerful for me during that class, to be able to relate our topic to something so concrete in my life.

Trust and confidence in Christ and a ready reliance on His merits, mercy, and grace lead to hope, through His Atonement, in the Resurrection and eternal life (see Moroni 7:41).