Finding Light In Our Spiritually Dark Times

I was asked to share my thoughts by means of a 15-20 minute talk in church last month.  It was written in the midst of cold season and presented through tears.  Take it for what it is...I share in the hope that some heart may be helped.

Four years ago my husband was diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer.  I’m not going to take too much time going into details today just that it wasn’t quite three years from diagnosis to death.  He died in July of 2016. Through those three years and the year and a half since I’ve experienced a spiritual roller coaster of epic proportions.  There have been days I felt like I was drowning, struggling for breath against a flood of emotions and there have been days of peace made possible by a Savior who chose to suffer this pain for me. His love is strong and constant like the sun. The theme this month is centered around light and Christ being the light and us sharing that light.

Before you tune out this is not a talk about service, this is a talk about how we receive much needed light in our lives during our darkest times.

In a grief course I took last year they explained the emotions associated with grief (and I would say any major trial in our lives) as being in a basement during midday and pulling thick curtains over the windows.  The sun is still there but we cannot see it.  When we face adversity emotion can cloud our vision of the love and help available to us.  It’s not that Heavenly Father there or isn’t aware of us, I’ve even come to understand that in these times He is acutely aware of us, and it isn’t that His love and the healing power of the atonement aren’t available, but our ability to see, hear and understand has been blocked by the excess of emotion we are experiencing. At our house we call this having “Big Feelings.” So how do we end up in these times of spiritual darkness and what can we do about them?

Presdient Uchtdorf in the Oct 2017 general conference explains, “Sometimes spiritual illness comes as a result of sin or emotional wounds. Sometimes spiritual breakdowns come so gradually that we can scarcely tell what is happening.  Like layers of sedimentary rock, spiritual pain and grief can build over time, weighing upon our spirits until it is almost too heavy to bear…We might even feel as though we have no more to give or that living the commandments of God is beyond our strength.”

This hit me really hard.  I’ve experienced that “having no more to give” feeling and even feeling unable at times to do the basic things that I know will build strength. I remember for months attending church meetings to go home completely exhausted from the effort it took to be around other people and keep my emotions in check.  Several times I found myself questioning if it was worth it and the answer was the same every time. “Showing up matters!” So I continued to show up, knowing that it mattered to Heavenly Father that I show up.  I didn’t concern myself with the quality of my contribution but knew that Heavenly Father would bless me for my efforts.

A wise priesthood leader recently explained to me that Heavenly Father does bless us for every obedience, the tricky part of this is that we do not choose the manner in which He blesses us.  We may pay tithing with the expectation that our financial situation will improve or live the law of chastity with the intent to be blessed to find a spouse but that isn’t how it works.  Heavenly Father, in His infinite wisdom blesses us with what He knows will be the most beneficial for our eternal well being.  Having faith that we are being blessed with what we need and not what we want is NOT an easy thing.

This concept of needing blessings and expecting specific blessings has been a challenge for me.  But when I come back to the simple truth that Heavenly Father loves me and wants what is best for me it makes the process more endurable.

President Uchdorf explains why remembering truth in our times of difficulty is so important, “Whatever causes our spiritual ailments, they all have one thing in common: an absence of divine light. Darkness reduces our ability to see clearly… It dims our vision of that which was at one time plain and clear. When we are in darkness, we are more likely to make poor choices because we cannot see dangers in our path.  When we are in darkness, we are more likely to lose hope because we cannot see the peace and joy that await us if we just keep pressing forward.”

It was during one such time I remember asking myself, “do I have a testimony?”, “does praying really change anything.” In these times it was the prayers of family and friends that kept me going and leaning on the light of their testimonies that kept me on the right path.

President Uchtdorf continues, “Light, on the other hand, allows us to see things as they really are.  It allows us to discern between truth and error, between the vital and the trivial. When we are in the light, we have a “perfect brightness of hope” because we can see our mortal trials from an eternal perspective. We will find spiritual healing as we step away from the shadows of the world and into the everlasting Light of Christ.”

I have learned that during times of spiritual struggles it is vitally important to learn to distinguish truth from error.  The adversary works very hard to take truths and twist them just enough to distort our thinking.  A friend of mine taught me a standard for recognizing if something is true.  We know that all truth comes from God.  Anything of God will invite the Spirit, it will FEEL good and right.  So when evaluating a statement focus on how it makes you feel.  I remember in my darkest days feeling a lifting or a brightening whenever anyone spoke of the atonement of Jesus Christ.  One of the thoughts I had a really hard time dismissing was “I can never be happy again.” Others I have struggled with are things like “I can’t give my children the support they need”,  and “I’m just not worth being around.”  All of these felt really bad and it took time and help from friends to talk it out and recognize these lies for what they were and replace those thoughts with their opposite because truth is the opposite of lies.  So the thoughts I worked on inviting were “I can be happy ,” “I am exactly what my children need,” and “I can be a good friend.”

Another time I found it difficult to recognize truth was a day I attended the temple and my grief was very heavy.  I realized the memories of my husband were beginning to fad and it was breaking my heart.  I felt my only options were to hold on to those memories as hard as I could and the pain that came with them or to allow them to slowly fade and take the pain with them.  That’s another way to recognize a lie is when we feel we have only one option or, as in this case, only two options, both of which are terrible.  In reality we have many options, some of which we may not even see yet. This is one of the adversaries favorite lies because he is the one who doesn’t have any options.

The feeling the reigned my mind this day was fear. In 2 Tim 1:7 it reads, “For God hath not given us the Spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” When I feel fear now I try to recognize that what I am thinking is not from God and I need to do something to invite the Spirit back into my mind to dispel that fear and worry. Sometimes the emotions are so strong that my vision is clouded and I need to reach out to a friend for help. Many times I have been rescued by my fear when I hear a friend, family member, or even complete stranger speak truth

I want to share another example of finding truth to dispel spiritual darkness.

When Matt’s cancer came back the second time I remember being in Primary and the theme was miracles that Christ performed.  Miracles have been a very touchy subject for me over the past few years as we understand that NOTHING is beyond Heavenly Father’s ability to do and we occasionally hear stories of miraculous healings. I struggled with this concept for a long time before my answer started to come together bit by bit.  Part of my answer was found in the song the Primary children sang two years ago that taught, “I know this, of all His miracles, the most incredible must be the miracle that rescues me.” Do you remember how strong the Spirit was as the primary children sang those words? This song was a beautiful reminder that the physical healings that Christ performed, while grand in scope,  are not as miraculous as the healing power of His atonement to purify and heal our hearts ultimately making us more prepared to receive eternal happiness.

I continued to receive bits and pieces of answers but felt dissatisfied.  I continued to feel frustrated each time someone shared a miracle story and wondered why Matt didn’t get that kind of healing. This past conference there was a talk that addressed this very topic.  Elder Hallstrom shared the following, “My limited knowledge cannot explain why sometimes there is divine intervention and other times there is not…” He challenged us to ponder where we place our faith.  Do we place our faith in physical healing, relief from financial or emotional hardship or do we place our faith in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father?

He concluded his remarks stating, “While it is good to pray for and work for physical protection and healing during our mortal existence, our supreme focus should be on the spiritual miracles that are available to all of God’s children…We are all living a miracle, and further miracles lie ahead.” What a beautiful testimony of truth.  I had to look for this talk as I didn’t remember the speaker or even the session it was shared but what was vivid in my mind and what the spirit testified is that I had received a much seeked after answer.  “Focus on the miracle of the atonement.”  That message burned into my soul and dispelled some of the darkness I was feeling and that was a miracle.

The topic I was given today was being Bearers of the Light and I feel impressed to share that we must continually seek to grow that light within ourselves through seeking truth and dispelling lies.  Pres Uchtdorf said, “it is our quest to seek the Lord until His light of everlasting life burns brightly within us and our testimony becomes confident and strong even in the midst of darkness.”

Whatever portion of light you have will show in all you do.  It changes the way we see the world.  Now, for those of you who just had that guilty feeling of “not good enough” creep in I invite you to recognize that is a lie.  You are a child of God, from a heritage of the divine.  Focus on the light you do have and look for opportunities to invite the spirit into your life.  The adversary works very hard to cloud our vision of the good we do as discouragement is one of his best weapons. Please notice that “not good enough” feeling doesn’t feel good and based on our earlier standard can be identified as untruth and replaced with its opposite which would be “I am more than enough, I am loved, I am a child of God and He loves me.” Notice how those feel.  That is truth.

I testify to you that you are here on this earth for a reason.  You are working out your own salvation one day, one word, one moment at a time.  You will be tested and tried and there will be days when you feel unequal to the task.  Heavenly Father did not intend for you to accomplish the work of your life by yourself.  Reach out to Him; reach out to other people.  Some of the greatest insights I have received come when I confide in a friend that I am struggling and they share some amazing truth they learned through struggling with their own imperfections.  There is power in leaning on each other and learning from others’ experience.  Heavenly Father made us very capable but He also gave us weaknesses so we would recognize our need for help, our need for Him.  He always works through imperfect people. Please remember the work in which you are engaged is the work of a lifetime.  It won’t happen in a day or even a year.  Be patient, be faithful and know you are loved.

If you found this article helpful you might like:

Making Friends With The Beast

Most Important Things

Finding Joy

My Hands Are Tied

Finding Joy

I was asked to give a spiritual message at a Relief Society activity (women’s group at church). They asked I base my remarks on the talk "Joy And Spiritual Survival" you can read the full talk by clicking here. I prayed to know what to share and this is what came to me.

In the Book of Mormon there is a story of a man who was preaching in Jerusalem and was told in a vison to take his family and flee into the wilderness because the people were angry with him and would kill him if he stayed.

The prophet Lehi not long after being inspired to uproot his family, leave behind his home and much of his possessions, and some extended family declared, "MEN ARE THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE JOY." We can assume by the amount of murmuring from some of his family members on their leaving and their great desire to return that they lived a comfortable life. So how was he, while living in the desert amidst uncertainty over the future of his family, able to make such a declaration?

Elder Russell M. Nelson explains that the joy Lehi felt and "the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives." So, you might ask, what is this magical focus that will allow me to be happy in the midst of hardship right now? The answer is simple, we focus on Jesus Christ as Elder Nelson explains, "He is the source of all joy."

I remember feeling such joy on my little one's second birthday. It was the first family celebration after my husband had died and I was just going through the motions, I made a cake, a friend helped me clean house and decorate, I wrapped presents and invited family over but my heart was breaking. I kept thinking, "this is so unfair, no child should have to spend their 2nd birthday without their father." Eventually anger gave way to sadness and as my heart softened and broke I pled with Heavenly Father to help me understand why something so terrible was part of the plan, His plan, for my life. Why would He give us something so wonderful and then take it away. In my mind's eye I could see the look on Matthew's face when he held each of our three children for the first time, it was pure joy. I remembered the happy tears we cried on our wedding day when we promised each other forever. He rarely cried but we both cried that day. I even pictured us together, clothed in white, at some future date, the promise of an eternity together shining in our eyes. That was the answer. We had joyful moments and we will again. 

To say I can't be happy because I am dealing with some hard things right now is just not true. Because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I know where to turn when I need strengthening, understanding or just enough patience to try one more time. Because of His sacrifice He can offer understanding and comfort on my hard days. With Jesus Christ I can do and become more than I ever imagined possible and find joyful moments even in my darkest hours.

Elder Nelson explained how Christ set the example for us to find joy through our trials. "In order for Him to endure the most excruciating experience ever endured on earth, our Savior focused on joy!...the joy of cleansing, healing, and strengthening us;" He was thinking of you and me! "...the joy of paying for the sins of all who would repent; the joy of making it possible for you and me to return home-clean and worthy- to live with our Heavenly Parents and families." Isn't that amazing! He endured all that pain and anguish by thinking how happy we could be because of His suffering.

He further instructs, "If we look to the world and follow it's formulas for happiness, we will never know joy. The unrighteous may experience any number er of emotions and sensations, but they will never experience joy! Joy is a gift that comes from intentionally trying to live a righteous life, as taught by Jesus Christ. He taught us how to have joy. We we choose Heavenly Father to be our God and when we can feel the Savior's Atonement working in our lives, we will be filled with joy."

I know this to be true and I have seen it in my life many times. But don't take my word for it, try it for yourself. Learn about Jesus Christ and what He did and them go and follow His example. You will not be disappointed. 

Read More Here:

Forgiveness

Turning Criticism Into Confidence

Cancer Diagnosis