Nevertheless

I love the temple. Those who have seen LDS temples are always in awe of the simple beauty they possess. In the house of God, along with the amazing things we learn there, there's a peace that I wish I could capture and always have with me. I had the opportunity to go yesterday, and I learned an important lesson.

I had just arrived, and heard a conversation of two men who were on their way out after a morning spent at the temple. One of the men was very elderly, and it was a struggle for him to even walk. As this man was on his way out, another man asked him, "How have you been?" The elderly man responded, "A lot of pain, but it's sure great to be at the temple." Talk about a humbling experience for this 22 year old. I didn't know this man, and didn't get a chance to thank him for a lesson I won't ever forget.

Life isn't easy. It wasn't meant to be. A lot of things we're asked to do are hard, especially if we have fairly good reasons for not doing them. This man at the temple had every reason to stay home because of his physical condition. But His love for the Lord prevailed, and he went anyway. There are plenty of scriptural examples of people who did hard things out of love for the Lord. Paul, while a prisoner, wrote to Timothy "I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I believed..." (2 Timothy 1:11-12). The greatest of all, Jesus Christ said, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). Christ, who was perfect, was the least deserving of the suffering He endured, but He loves His Father, and He loves us.

When we have challenges in our lives that seem too difficult to overcome, we can look for a way out, or we can say "nevertheless, I love the Lord, so I'll go and do it." The Lord has assured us, "that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Heb 11:6). He has also said, "blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven. Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concernign those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation" (D&C 58:2-3).

Instead of focusing on why we can't, let's focus on how much we love the Lord.