I had one of those dreams several years ago. It was right around Thanksgiving just about a year after my wife passed away. I can’t remember all that was going on in this dream, but I remember being in a room with her. She was smiling and talking in a way that was reminiscent of how she was when we first met. There was no sign of the Multiple Sclerosis that had slowly ravaged her brain over the final years of her life.

When I awoke, my immediate feeling was heartache. How could it all have been just a dream? How could all that she was in the dream be taken away from me again? Very quickly, however, that disappointment was replaced by gratitude and a feeling that the dream wasn’t meant to cause me pain but to bring me peace. Shannon was happy. She was free of what had tortured her for so long.

I did not know the words “mortality works” at that time, but upon listening to the talk with that as the title given by Elder Brook P. Hales of the Seventy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the October 2024 general conference of the church, I thought back to that dream and realized that it was indeed an indication that mortality works. It may not always seem like it’s working or that it’s going to work while one is in the midst of an excruciating trial, but ultimately, mortality does work.

Perhaps you can think of an example of how it has been proven to you that mortality works. Elder Hales started his address with an anecdote showing how he knows that is true.

Ryan Comer, Standard-Examiner

“For several years, I was assigned to home teach an older sister in my ward,” he said. “She did not have an easy life. She had various health problems and experienced a lifetime of pain due to a childhood accident on the playground. Divorced at age 32 with four young children to raise and provide for, she remarried at age 50. Her second husband passed away when she was 66, and this sister lived an additional 26 years as a widow.

“Despite her lifelong challenges, she was faithful to her covenants to the end. This sister was an avid genealogist, a temple attender and a collector and writer of family histories. Though she had many difficult trials, and without question she felt at times sadness and loneliness, she had a cheerful countenance and a gracious and pleasant personality.

“Nine months after her passing, one of her sons had a remarkable experience in the temple. He learned by the power of the Holy Ghost that his mother had a message for him. She communicated with him, but not by vision or audible words. The following unmistakable message came into the son’s mind from his mother: ‘I want you to know that mortality works, and I want you to know that I now understand why everything happened [in my life] the way it did — and it is all OK.’

“This message is all the more remarkable when one considers her situation and the difficulties this sister endured and overcame.

“Brothers and sisters, mortality works. It is designed to work. Despite the challenges, heartaches and difficulties we all face, our loving, wise and perfect Heavenly Father has designed the plan of happiness such that we are not destined to fail. His plan provides a way for us to rise above our mortal failures. The Lord has said, ‘This is my work and my glory — to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.'” (Moses 1:39)

How many times in life do we find ourselves wondering, “Why do I have to endure this trial?” “How come other people have certain blessings that I don’t?” We may not receive satisfying answers to these questions in this life, and that can be extremely frustrating, yet we’re asked to trust in a perfect and all-wise Heavenly Father who knows clearly the purpose of every trial. In this example shared by Elder Hales, we have proof that such faith is not in vain. There will come a time when we will understand why everything occurred the way that it did and it will all be OK. We will know with absolute certainty that mortality worked.

A thought that has occasionally come into my mind over the years as I’ve thought about trials is, “OK, I understand the necessity of them, but why must they sometimes be as challenging as they are? Why must they be so difficult? Certainly, I can learn whatever lesson I need to learn or become what Heavenly Father wants me to become without the trial being so excruciating. Right?”

Continued Elder Hales:

“Nonetheless, if we are to be the beneficiaries of the Lord’s ‘work and … glory,’ even ‘immortality and eternal life,’ we must expect to be schooled and taught and to pass through the refiner’s fire — sometimes to our utter limits. To completely avoid the problems, challenges and difficulties of this world would be to sidestep the process that is truly necessary for mortality to work.

“And so we should not be surprised when hard times come upon us. We will encounter situations that try us and people who enable us to practice true charity and patience. But we need to bear up under our difficulties and remember, as the Lord said:

“‘And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal.

“‘Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies [or your problems, challenges or the tests of this life], for I have decreed … , saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant … that you may be found worthy.’ (Doctrine and Covenants 98:13-14)

“When we feel distraught or anxious about our problems or feel that we might be receiving more than our fair share of life’s difficulties, we can remember what the Lord said to the children of Israel:

“‘And thou shalt remember all the way[s] which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what [is] in thine heart, whether thou [would] keep his commandments, or no.’ (Deuteronomy 8:2)

“As Lehi taught his son Jacob:

“‘Thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow. … Nevertheless, … [God] shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain. … Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer.’ (2 Nephi 2:1-3)

“Because this life is a testing ground and ‘dark clouds of trouble hang o’er us and threaten our peace to destroy,’ it is helpful to remember this counsel and promise found in Mosiah 23 relating to life’s challenges: ‘Nevertheless–whosoever putteth his trust in [the Lord] the same shall be lifted up at the last day.'” (Mosiah 23:22)

Inspiring to me are the words the Lord spoke to Joseph Smith while he was in Liberty Jail.

“And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

“The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

“Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.” (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7-9)

President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, referenced Jesus when talking about trials in a video titled “Stay on the Boat” that was released by Church News on YouTube on Jan. 10.

“What if he had gotten halfway through his atoning sacrifice and said, ‘Doesn’t look to me like anybody’s very appreciative here. I’m quitting.’ Well, every one of us would be in sorry soup if that’s what happened. Thank heavens it wasn’t. And he … did see it through to the end,” President Holland said “And I think we sometimes pass over it in the New Testament account, but I think one of the great things that he said in those final seven phrases from the cross, one of the sweetest, is when he said, ‘It’s finished,’ and ‘Father, unto thee I commend my spirit.’ Well, I’m grateful that he was able to finish it. I’m grateful that for my sake and yours and everybody we know and our children and our children’s children, that he was able to see that through.”

Later in the video message, Elder Holland equated trials in life to preparing for exaltation.

“We get to practice,” he said. “If you want patience, well, hold on, because the Lord’s going to give you a dozen things to be patient about — the very things you don’t want, but that’s where you say you need to grow; that’s what he’s going to give you. If you say, ‘I want to be long-suffering, it’s just that I don’t want to suffer. And I don’t want it to be for very long. But I’m really for long-suffering.’ Well, that just isn’t the way it works. We get these opportunities to grow inch by inch, experience by experience, child by child. We just get a chance to begin to work on those and tick those off until we hope we have some mastery and we’re on our way to the end. … The sun always comes up. It always comes up. And, so, we stay with it. We hang on, because they give the blue ribbons down at the end of the track. They don’t give them up at the front, the first 10 yards.

“I read a book once by Don Schollander, who was a swimmer at Yale the year before I came there. At 18 years of age, he had 26 world records and 38 American records. And he had, I don’t know, four gold medals from the Olympics. And somebody asked him, ‘How do you become a championship swimmer?’ And he says, ‘You kick when you don’t want to kick, and you stroke when you don’t want to stroke. That’s how you win.’ And that means stay in the tank. You’re not getting out. You’re not quitting. The victory is at the end of the road. The victory is at the end of the journey. That’s the way it was with Christ. That’s the way it is for us.”

Recalling his childhood and a trial that he was forced to endure, Elder Hales said:

“As a youth, I personally experienced great emotional pain and shame that came as the result of the unrighteous actions of another, which for many years affected my self-worth and my sense of worthiness before the Lord. Nevertheless, I bear personal witness that the Lord can strengthen us and bear us up in whatever difficulties we are called upon to experience during our sojourn in this vale of tears.

“We are familiar with Paul’s experience:

“‘And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations [I have received], there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

“‘For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

“‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)

“We don’t know what Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’ was. He chose not to describe whether it was a physical ailment, a mental or emotional infirmity or a temptation. But we don’t need to know that detail to know that he struggled and pleaded with the Lord for help and that, ultimately, the Lord’s strength and power are what helped him through it.

“Like it was for Paul, it was through the Lord’s help that I was eventually strengthened emotionally and spiritually and finally recognized after many years that I have always been a person of worth and worthy of the blessings of the gospel. The savior helped me to overcome my feelings of unworthiness and to extend sincere forgiveness to the offender. I finally understood that the savior’s atonement was a personal gift for me and that my Heavenly Father and his son love me perfectly. Because of the savior’s atonement, mortality works.

“While I was eventually blessed to recognize how the savior rescued me and stood by me through those experiences, I clearly understand that the unfortunate situation of my teenage years was my personal journey and experience, the resolution of which and eventual outcome cannot be projected onto those who have suffered and continue to suffer from the unrighteous behavior of others.

“I recognize that life’s experiences — good and bad — can teach us important lessons. I now know and bear testimony that mortality works. I hope that as a result of the sum of my life’s experiences — good and bad — I have compassion for innocent victims of another’s actions and empathy for the downtrodden.

“I sincerely hope that as a result of my life’s experiences — good and bad — I am kinder to others, treat others as the savior would and have greater understanding for the sinner and that I have complete integrity. As we come to rely on the savior’s grace and keep our covenants, we can serve as examples of the far-reaching effects of the savior’s atonement.”

As Elder Hales quoted Paul, specifically, him saying he was given “a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me…,” I thought of words used by President Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at the October 2024 general conference. He said:

“Regular worship in the temple will help us. In the house of the Lord, we focus on Jesus Christ. We learn of him. We make covenants to follow him. We come to know him. As we keep our temple covenants, we gain greater access to the Lord’s strengthening power. In the temple, we receive protection from the buffetings of the world. We experience the pure love of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father in great abundance. We feel peace and spiritual reassurance, in contrast to the turbulence of the world.

“Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find him in the temple. You will feel his mercy. You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of his gospel.”

We’re all going to receive “buffetings.” But, thankfully, we are not left on our own to simply deal with them as best as we can. Because Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to overcome them so that we can return to him, he has given us temples – houses of the Lord. These houses of the Lord aren’t just spectacular edifices but places where one can actually receive divine protection from the “buffetings of the world,” whatever they may be.

Closing his talk, Elder Hales said:

“I share a final example that mortality works.

“My mother did not have an easy journey through mortality. She received no accolades or worldly honors and did not have educational opportunities beyond high school. She contracted polio as a child, resulting in a lifetime of pain and discomfort in her left leg. As an adult, she experienced many difficult and challenging physical and financial circumstances but was faithful to her covenants and loved the Lord.

“When my mother was 55, my next older sister passed away, leaving an eight-month-old baby daughter, my niece, motherless. For various reasons, Mom ended up largely raising my niece for the next 17 years, often under very trying circumstances. Yet, notwithstanding these experiences, she happily and willingly served her family, neighbors and ward members and served as an ordinance worker in the temple for many years. During the last several years of her life, Mom suffered from a form of dementia, was often confused and was confined to a nursing facility. Regrettably, she was alone when she passed away unexpectedly.

“Several months after her passing, I had a dream I have never forgotten. In my dream, I was sitting in my office at the church administration building. Mom entered the office. I knew she had come from the spirit world. I will always remember the feelings I had. She did not say anything, but she radiated a spiritual beauty that I had never before experienced and which I have difficulty describing.

“Her countenance and being were truly stunning. I remember saying to her, ‘Mother, you are so beautiful,’ referencing her spiritual power and beauty. She acknowledged me — again without speaking. I felt her love for me, and I knew then that she is happy and healed from her worldly cares and challenges and eagerly awaits ‘a glorious resurrection.’ (Doctrine and Covenants 138:14) I know that for Mom, mortality worked — and that it works for us too.

“God’s work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39) The experiences of mortality are part of the journey that allows us to grow and progress toward that immortality and eternal life. We were not sent here to fail but to succeed in God’s plan for us.

“As King Benjamin taught: ‘And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.’ (Mosiah 2:41) In other words, mortality works.

“I testify that as we receive the ordinances of the gospel, enter into covenants with God and then keep those covenants, repent, serve others and endure to the end, we too can have the assurance and complete trust in the Lord that mortality works. I testify of Jesus Christ and that our glorious future with our Heavenly Father is made possible by the grace and atonement of the savior. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

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