Written by April T Giauque
Elder David P Homer
Eight Minutes! Eight Minutes to make a life-or-death decision–to stay or to go. I prayed in my heart, “Heavenly Father, I’m leaving. I place all my trust in Thee!” I looked in the review mirror at my five beautiful children and threw the transmission into drive. I felt my van lurch forward as I sped out of the driveway and onto the snowy street, never to return to my former life.
The Source of Truth: The Father & The Son
This was the image that Elder Homer triggered as he opened his talk with his story of Louisa Barnes Pratt. Louisa wasn’t “on the run,” but she faced a very real and challenging decision to leave with the saints or wait until her husband returned from serving a mission to the Hawaiian islands. She was personally reluctant to place all her faith and trust in the Lord to make this difficult choice. She was saved when she exercised her faith and trusted in the Lord. Why? Elder Kearon has that answer:
“God is in relentless pursuit of us!”—Elder Kearon.
It really comes down to foundational truth and doing what’s right. Elder Homer shared, “Some say that Truth is relative. We should redraw the lines as it suits us.” I laughed when I heard it so clearly spoken because I have drawn lines or “relative truth,” or truth that seemed to fit my need, and when that crashed down, I was literally faced with a life-or-death situation and had to leave my abusive marriage. That experience taught me to Trust the Lord fully and allow “Jesus to take the wheel!”
“The desire to change God’s eternal truth has a long history. It started before the world began, when Satan rebelled against God’s plan, seeking selfishly to destroy human agency.”—Elder Homer
President Russell M. Nelson has consistently taught that God’s saving truths are absolute, independent, and defined by God Himself. “Sometimes, in our arrogance, we think we know better. When that happens, we are actually slipping further and further from the truth, which has never changed.”
So, if we heed God’s word, we will receive more; if we ignore His counsel, we will receive less and less until we have none—that was what I experienced more than 18 years ago.
Our Choice to Trust Our Father
It is easier to trust in the Lord first before you or I experience the challenges of life that will force our hand to make a choice. If we are stubborn or prideful we will make the wrong choice. Elder Homer reminds us “Whom we choose to trust is one of life’s important decisions. Choosing to follow God is our choice.”
Think about it: Prophets and the Lord have done their best to persuade us to follow the light. Sometimes, in our arrogance, we think we know better. When that happens, we are actually slipping further and further from the truth—the truth never changes. I love this quote from Elder Homer,
“This loss of knowledge does not mean that the truth was wrong; rather, it shows that we have lost the capacity to understand it.”—Elder Homer.
Look to The Savior; He is Sent by the Father
Elder Homer references examples and the teachings of the Savior. When the Savior taught about His identity and mission to his disciples and others, many found His words difficult to hear, leading them to turn their backs and “[walk] no more with him.” Why did they walk away? Because they did not like what He said. So, trusting their own judgment, they walked away.
It is easy for our pride to come between us and eternal truth. When we don’t understand, we can pause, let our feelings settle, and then choose how to respond. The Savior urged us to “look unto [Him] in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”
“Please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”—Elder Uchtdorft.
Blessings Come to Those Who Stay
I have to ask myself, am I staying or am I going? It is a choice, and it’s about the small stuff. Just as the disciples walked away from the Savior that day, He asked the Twelve, “Will ye also go away?” Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. “And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”
When we come from a traumatic background, reaching out to Him can be difficult, just as the father who sought healing for his son was told by the Savior, “All things are possible to him that believeth.” In our moments of struggle, we too can cry out, “Help thou [my] unbelief.” Elder Homer then stated:
“Submitting our will to God is an act of faith that lies at the heart of our discipleship. In making that choice, we discover that our agency is not diminished; rather, it is magnified and rewarded by the presence of the Holy Ghost, who brings purpose, joy, peace, and hope we can find nowhere else….The Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ….know how to succor us. We can be of good cheer as we trust them more than anyone or anything else.”
I can’t wait to share this with you on Tuesday at 6:30 pm Mountain on the Beacon of Light Podcast from the Pulpit.
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