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In Matthew 23:11, it says, “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” This was a great reminder to me of the service that we should each be seeking out to provide for those around us. Especially in the crazy times we find ourselves living in.

So many people this week are panicking and going to stores in droves to buy as much as they can. This new virus that has come about has affected all of us around the world. It is hard to believe that church has actually been called off until further notice. Of course, we are to still worship and learn as families within our own homes until the appropriate time comes that we may return to attending classes at church buildings as we are used to.

Seeing all the craziness, unrest, and the uncertainty of people has helped me to remember that we are to serve those around us. Even though we are told to try and remain isolated as much as possible, we must be available to help those in need at this time. It is important to remember that Christ is someone who always served others. As we strive to be better disciples of Him, there are many opportunities to provide service to those around us.

I pray that we can remain calm during these troubling times. I also pray that we can find and act upon the needs of those close to us that we might be able to provide the service that so many are going to desperately need in these crazy times.

In our reading this week, a particular verse stood out to me – Mark 9:23. The scripture reads, “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

This scripture helps to remind me that we can do anything, if we only believe in our Savior and put our lives in His hands. He is there for us at all times, whether they be good or bad. As we struggle through life, we can find comfort in knowing that Jesus is there for each of us, regardless of what we think of Him. He will always love us and look for ways to help us.

If we work on obtaining a testimony of Him, and work to strengthen that belief every day, we can become more like Him and we can accomplish anything. If we only put our faith in Him, we can learn to be more like Him and help others around us.

I know that many times in my life I get discouraged or think that I am all alone in the things I deal with each day. This scripture helped to remind me that I am never alone and that I am able to look for help and receive it as needed. This is something I hope to continue to work towards in the future.

As we studied in class this week, we learn about how we need to be ready to give our burdens to our Savior, and that He will help us to bear them.  In the book of Matthew, Chapter 11, verses 28-30, it reads, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

We know that a yoke can be used to join two animals together to help make the load more bearable and to make it so that one does not have to bear all the burden on their own.  I love these scriptures that help to paint the picture that Christ is there for each of us, to help us bear our burdens.  What a great blessing to know that He is there for us in our times of need, and all we need to do is go to Him humbly to ask for help. 

I hope that each of us can remember to go to our Savior in times of need and ask for His help.  I know that He will be there for each of us, helping to make the load light, and helping us bear whatever burdens we may have. 

This semester we are learning from the New Testament about the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  One of the stories we learned about this week was when Jesus was tempted after fasting in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights.  As He came back, He was approached by Satan who told Him to prove that He was the Son of God by turning stones to bread so that He might eat.  When that didn’t work, Satan tempted Jesus to cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple.  Jesus told him that He would not be tempted.  Satan then tried to tempt Him again by showing Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and promising them to Him if He would worship Satan.

Jesus was able to withstand these temptations even though He was weak and vulnerable at the time.  He was able to stay true to Himself by knowing who He truly was and by not doubting Himself.  This is a great lesson for each of us as we struggle with temptation and with wanting to become a better disciple of Christ.  Each of us is a son or daughter of God and we each have the ability to withstand temptation when it is before us.  We need to prepare for these times by working on strengthening our testimony and asking for help from our Father in Heaven when in times of need.

This week, in one of our readings, we got to read a speech by Elder Holland called, “However Long and Hard the Road.”

I’ve posted a link to the video on YouTube, and I think it is worth watching if you have a little time.

In this speech, Elder Holland tells us the importance of enduring and persevering no matter what may be thrown at us.  He tells of the many trials that will come to each of us during this lifetime, and the importance of learning how to overcome them.

This really stood out to me this week, and helped me to realize that trials are going to be a part of each of our lives.  And we must learn how to overcome them.  If we don’t, we will end up holding ourselves back, and not living up to our full potential.

As Elder Holland shared several different stories of trials by those that have come before us, it really helps to put in perspective just how much our ancestors have gone through to get us to the point we are now.  We must not let these people down by giving up as things get hard.  Instead, we must learn to push through, persevere, and overcome the adversity that comes to all of us.

This week, we finished up reading a book called Mastery, by George Leonard.  The book was great, and does a great job of telling us what we need to do in our lives to become masters over anything that we wish to be better at.

We also had a few readings to go through, one of which was a summary of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey.  Of the 7 habits mentioned in this summary, I think that the first one, being proactive, stands out the most to me.

I feel that this habit is the most important, as it requires us to take it upon ourselves to start being better, and start on a path to become more than we currently are.  If we wait for someone to tell us to do it, or wait for someone to put a plan in our hands, we can sit waiting for years.  It is necessary to be proactive in all that we do.  We must prepare ourselves to move forward, and be ready to react to any situation that may come our way.

As we endeavor to be proactive, I feel that we start on the path of mastery that George talks about in his book.  We must have the willpower necessary to start on this path, and then we must be willing to stay on that path.  Doing so will help us to master anything in our lives that we wish to master.

I know that each of us has unlimited potential to do whatever it is that we want to do.  We must be willing to have the courage to start doing better, and practice at being better each day.  If we do this, we all can overcome any obstacles that may stand in our way.