Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald file photo

Social media can present several problems, but one blessing that I am extremely grateful for that comes from it is being able to read messages from the prophet and apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Because of social media, I don’t have to be limited to only hearing from them at general conference, the biannual gathering of the church.

This week, I felt blessed to hear from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the church. Elder Holland has recently faced some difficult health and family challenges. On Facebook, he posted a photo of himself sitting in a chair holding two babies with the following message:

“Most of you will know that my wife Pat passed away last July with complications from Covid and other respiratory problems. I am brokenhearted and lonely, but that is the price we pay for love in the world. I look forward to rejoining her.

“But the wonder of life goes on, including for these two great-grandchildren who, with our other family members, were the delight of Pat’s life. Her passing and their arrival are a reminder that both birth and death are a part of the Savior’s plan of happiness. I dearly, deeply miss Pat, but I am grateful for a new generation in our family. This is why we speak of family so much in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for, as President Russell M. Nelson has said, salvation is an individual experience, but exaltation is a family experience.

“I bear witness of the beauty of this plan and that all is well if we live for its promises. I am trying to live worthily of those promises and the trust that those living on Pat’s side of the veil have in those of us who have access to the temple where so many of those promises are revealed.”

Photo supplied

It was interesting timing for me that Elder Holland would post this message this week because also this week, before I read his post, I was watching a talk he gave during the October 2020 general conference titled “Waiting on the Lord.” In the talk, Elder Holland addressed questions that I’m certain everyone has at one point asked.

“How long do we wait for relief from hardships that come upon us? What about enduring personal trials while we wait and wait, and help seems so slow in coming? Why the delay when burdens seem more than we can bear?

After referencing Joseph Smith’s suffering in Liberty Jail, he highlighted a number of struggles that people face, acknowledged there are many more and pointed out that “there will be times in our lives when even our best spiritual effort and earnest, pleading prayers do not yield the victories for which we have yearned, whether that be regarding the large global matters or the small personal ones.”

Then came the encouragement that Elder Holland has become so beloved among Latter-day Saints for:

“So while we work and wait together for the answers to some of our prayers, I offer you my apostolic promise that they are heard and they are answered, though perhaps not at the time or in the way we wanted. But they are always answered at the time and in the way an omniscient and eternally compassionate parent should answer them. My beloved brothers and sisters, please understand that He who never sleeps nor slumbers cares for the happiness and ultimate exaltation of His children above all else that a divine being has to do. He is pure love, gloriously personified, and Merciful Father is His name.”

Being a loving and merciful God doesn’t mean God should prevent us from facing trials. Continued Elder Holland:

“‘Well, if this is the case,’ you might say, ‘shouldn’t His love and mercy simply part our personal Red Seas and allow us to walk through our troubles on dry ground? Shouldn’t He send 21st-century seagulls winging in from somewhere to gobble up all of our pesky 21st-century crickets?’

“The answer to such questions is ‘Yes, God can provide miracles instantaneously, but sooner or later we learn that the times and seasons of our mortal journey are His and His alone to direct.’ He administers that calendar to every one of us individually. For every infirm man healed instantly as he waits to enter the Pool of Bethesda, someone else will spend 40 years in the desert waiting to enter the promised land. For every Nephi and Lehi divinely protected by an encircling flame of fire for their faith, we have an Abinadi burned at a stake of flaming fire for his. And we remember that the same Elijah who in an instant called down fire from heaven to bear witness against the priests of Baal is the same Elijah who endured a period when there was no rain for years and who, for a time, was fed only by the skimpy sustenance that could be carried in a raven’s claw. By my estimation, that can’t have been anything we would call a ‘happy meal.’

“The point? The point is that faith means trusting God in good times and bad, even if that includes some suffering until we see His arm revealed in our behalf. That can be difficult in our modern world when many have come to believe that the highest good in life is to avoid all suffering, that no one should ever anguish over anything. But that belief will never lead us to ‘the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.’

“With apologies to Elder Neal A. Maxwell for daring to modify and enlarge something he once said, I too suggest that ‘one’s life … cannot be both faith-filled and stress-free.’ It simply will not work ‘to glide naively through life,’ saying as we sip another glass of lemonade, ‘Lord, give me all thy choicest virtues, but be certain not to give me grief, nor sorrow, nor pain, nor opposition. Please do not let anyone dislike me or betray me, and above all, do not ever let me feel forsaken by Thee or those I love. In fact, Lord, be careful to keep me from all the experiences that made Thee divine. And then, when the rough sledding by everyone else is over, please let me come and dwell with Thee, where I can boast about how similar our strengths and our characters are as I float along on my cloud of comfortable Christianity.’

“My beloved brothers and sisters, Christianity is comforting, but it is often not comfortable. The path to holiness and happiness here and hereafter is a long and sometimes rocky one. It takes time and tenacity to walk it. But, of course, the reward for doing so is monumental.”

It sure can be hard to have that kind of faith. But it’s a lot easier when you see others demonstrate it, as Elder Holland did with his social media post.

I think it’s important to note that Elder Holland didn’t hide his grief. He didn’t pretend that he wasn’t hurting. Having faith doesn’t mean you can’t feel sad. It does mean you look forward with optimism, and Elder Holland did exactly that. What a tremendous lesson for all of us.

So, thank you, Elder Holland, for showing the type of faith during this period of sadness that you have previously called on others to have. It’s helpful for me, and I’m sure millions of others as well.

Contact Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net. Follow him on Twitter at @rbcomer8388 and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rbcomer8388.

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