Don't Get Discouraged

Discouragement comes from missed expectations. Chronic discouragement leads to lower expectations, decreased effort, weakened desire, and greater difficulty feeling and following the Spirit. Discouragement and despair are the very antithesis of faith.

“Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” Colossians 3:21

“Keep trying. Be believing. Be happy. Don’t get discouraged. Things will work out.” —Gordon B. Hinckley

“If you sometimes get discouraged, consider this fellow. He dropped out of grade school. Operated a country store. Went bankrupt. Took 15 years to pay off his bills. Took a wife. Unhappy marriage. Ran for U.S. House of Representatives. Lost twice. Ran for U.S. Senate. Lost twice. Delivered speech that became a classic. Audience indifferent. Attacked daily by the press and despised by half the country. Despite all this, imagine how many people all over the world have been inspired by this awkward, rumpled, brooding man who signed his name simply, A. Lincoln.” —Wall Street Journal

Don't Doubt

In "Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ", Kevin Pearson teaches us that "Doubt is not a principle of the gospel. It does not come from the Light of Christ or the influence of the Holy Ghost. Doubt is a negative emotion related to fear. It comes from a lack of confidence in one's self or abilities. It is inconsistent with our divine identity as children of God."

"We cannot know what faith is if we have never had it, and we cannot obtain it as long as we deny it. Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other. ... If our desire is to discard all doubt and to substitute therefor an abiding faith, we have but to accept the invitation extended to you and to me in the Epistle of James [to ask of God]." --Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Mar 2009

"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." James 1:6

This Year... Erosion Control (Firmer Faith)

I came across Kevin W. Pearson's spring conference address as I was preparing for a family home evening a couple of weeks ago, and I love it! It's full of what I want to remember this year, and so I'm posting it for the New Year!

To give an indication of how much I love this article, I have created two family home evenings from it, some affirmation flash cards, and a quote for the fridge from it. Now I'm going to share it here. And not just today. I'm going to share my thoughts on it for weeks! One week for each of what he calls the Six Destructive D's. Pearson refers to them as FORCES THAT ERODE OUR FAITH. So...


Stay tuned for thoughts on Doubt.