In preparation for this devotional we read an article quoting Neal Maxwell as he addressed those in attendance at the funeral for a young father.
He said, "There are in the gospel warm and cuddly doctrines, and then there are some that are just outright wintry doctrines. One of them, frankly, is that we cannot approach [real] consecration without passing through appropriate clinical experiences, [because we don't achieve consecration] in the abstract. Sometimes [therefore,] the best people have the worst experiences, because they are the most ready to learn."
He has also said, "If we are serious about our discipleship, Jesus will eventually request each of us to do those very things which are most difficult for us to do."
Just a few months later, the dark shadows of leukemia entered Neal Maxwell's life and he was asked to live the doctrine he had taught for years.
True discipleship will have all of us walking the trek of life. As we walk this path, we strengthen our faith and develop true and earned empathy and charity. It is in the challenges that we become more like Christ at an accelerated rate.
At times we may think we can conquer these trials on our own but in the end it is only through Christ that we can surmount some of these most difficult tasks. As it teaches in the scriptures, He will never ask of us anything that is greater than we can bear. And through moving through these trials, He will do what He needs to do to move us to the next "platform" of progression. The gospel allows us to put these life events into better perspective. It gives us strength and hope. As we lead these youth on trek, it may be an appropriate time to introduce the "wintery doctrines of the kingdom" to bolster their courage and teach them in a very applicable way how to truly rely on the Lord.
Phil and Noelle Bastian
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