These notes are in honor of a great man, Joseph B Wirthlin, who passed away in his sleep on Monday night at the age of 91. I got a call last night form his granddaughter, a good friend of mine, and immediately thought of his talk from last October’s General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is his last public address. You can read the entire article here. Click his picture for an article about him.
Honestly, while I was listening to Elder Wirthlin’s talk in October, I didn’t GET “Come what may, and love it.” It took me reading it to get his message, and now I DO love it! Elder Wirthlin’s mother used to repeat this saying to him when he was a young boy and would often get hurt while playing sports. In essence, what she was telling him was that there will be adversity in our lives. Things will get tough. The Lord has said that there must be oppostition in all things. But if we handle adversity well and learn through the difficult times, we will become stronger, wiser, and happier as a result.
He lists 4 things that have helped him through periods of testing and trial.
1) Learn to laugh
“The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.”
2) Seek for the eternal
“Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others.”
3) The principle of compensation
“That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.”
4) Trust in the Father and the Son
“The simple secret is this: put your trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to Him.”
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