I gave my first talk in sacrament meeting this last Sunday! I hadn't spoken in church since I was 19 years. This was definately a surprise for me when I got the call, but I was secretly happy. Nervous, but also excited. I love challenges anyway, but I really feel like I have moved to a point in my life where I can honestly believe what I spoke about and truely benefit from the feelings I discovered while preparing this.
"As children in primary, we are taught the first principle and ordinance of the gospel is Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
As youth we learn to “Walk by Faith” as we begin to dip our feet in the values of the gospel and prepare for a mission, college, marriage and all the fun that comes with graduation.
As adults, we exercise our faith through trials and tribulations that naturally come with careers, marriage, children and life in general. Trials and tribulations that can easily test our true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Trials and tribulations that can falter the basic principles of the gospel if we are not prepared for them. In the May 2009 Ensign, Henry B. Eyring wrote, “…distress can shake faith in the reality of a loving and all-powerful God. And if unchecked, those feelings can lead to loss of faith that there is a God at all.”
For those who don’t know me yet, I’m Sister Díaz and I have three beautiful children in primary.
Dylan is my oldest and starting middle school next month. He is very artistic and loves creating detailed drawings of words, pictures and patterns. As many of you have noticed, he has a genuine love for little children. He is patient, kind and sincere with them, attributes I wish he would exercise with his own younger siblings. He has a unique ability in making people feel confident about themselves. He is always complimenting me when I try to critique myself, helping to build my esteem by his kind words. Dylan is preparing himself for his priesthood calling in January when he turns 12 and is very anxious to go to the temple with the youth.
Ashley is my only daughter, 10 years old and about to start her last year in elementary school. She is very creative and crafty and enjoys writing musical lyrics or just snuggling up to a good book. She is the genius in our family and loves a good challenge. Last year she was the ‘facts master’ champion in her math classroom, breaking many of the school records for having the fastest time. She has the gift of truly understanding the concepts of the things she is taught and is very logical. She grasped the missionary discussions immediately and loves to re-teach them to us at Family Home Evening. Ashley patiently waited two years to be baptized and taught me by example that having faith will lead us to Christ.
Christopher is my little Peruvian child, secretly bilingual in English and Spanish, 6 years old and about to start 1st grade. He insists on dressing himself and growing his curls out to an afro, so don’t hold his appearance against me! He is quiet amongst strangers and was talking for almost a year before his Aunt Jenny ever heard his voice. But don’t let that fool you. Christopher is one of the funniest kids I’ve ever encountered. His humor is outrageous and he loves to joke around ALL THE TIME but also has a reverence that can stop a train. He is always eager to volunteer when given the opportunity to say the prayer at home, and, as the missionaries can attest to, he enlightens us on how powerful a child’s prayer and faith can really be.
I am Elizabeth, aka Betsy to some of you, and the youngest of the Eastman clan. I have 6 older brothers, 2 older sisters, even more in-laws and over 30 nieces & nephews. Many of you knew my mother Janet Eastman as well as my sister Jennifer Fryer when she lived here and have since been graced with the company of my brother Mike Eastman and his lovely wife Clarissa. I grew up in Broken Arrow, mingled in and out of various boundary changes throughout the stake, was in and out of the Spanish branch during the first few years of my marriage and have lived in this ward with my children for over 6 years.
Our family has been touched greatly by the power of faith. My children have learned the gospel through recent missionary discussions, discussions that have also re-taught me the basic principles I had learned throughout my lifetime. But faith…faith is something that has inspired us as a family. Faith is something that I have personally gained a new understanding of.
In Alma 44:4, he writes, “Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith.”
My father was very active in the church when I was a child and youth and my older brothers were all privileged to have him as their seminary teacher for years. He served in the bishopric for a while and I always looked up to him and the example he showed his children. Even when he decided to stop attending church 16 years ago, I still admired him and have continued to seek his counsel and go to him with my heartaches and troubles. He always counsels me with his knowledge of the gospel and steers me toward the church. He expresses his comfort in knowing that I am where I need to be, doing what I need to be doing, and raising my children in a faithful home again.
How many times have we gone to our parents for advice, help and comfort? Parents, how many times have your children asked you for guidance? I am 32 years old and I still go to my father with my tribulations. From infancy to death, we rely on our parents, we develop and nurture our relationships with them and we learn to trust them. As children we learn to succumb to their obligation of parental authority and as youth we test this authority, eventually surrendering unto them. So why is it so difficult to surrender unto our Heavenly Father? Do you lack the faith that he will guide you? Do you lack the faith that he knows the desires of your heart? Do you lack the faith that our Heavenly Father has the authority to ask you to come unto Christ?
According to the basic gospel teachings, “Faith is a principle of action and power. Whenever we work toward a worthy goal, we exercise faith. We show our hope for something that we cannot yet see.”
My children may never understand me, just as I never understood my parents. They will never know why I fight for them every day. They will never understand how much happiness they bring to my life and they will never fully appreciate the pain and stress they put me through on a daily basis. They may never appreciate just how much I love them, but they will always know that they are loved. And as I look into their faces, I see their beautiful smiles, their glowing spirits, their secret admiration they have for me. I see myself on so many levels and I want to help them. I want to help them grow into healthy adults, watch them choose a worthy spouse, admire as they learn from my parental faults, and I want to teach them make choices that will always bring them back to me.
Our Heavenly Father adores us and is waiting for us to return back to him.
Moroni writes in 7:42, “Without faith there cannot be any hope”.
I often think of the poem Footprints in the Sand. “You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me? The Lord replied, The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”
Brothers and sisters, our Heavenly Father knows our hearts. He knows our weaknesses and he knows our strengths. He will never give us more than we can bear. We all have our own personal trials but trust me when I tell you that he will never, ever give us more that we can bear. My mother was famous for quoting to her children, “And this to shall pass”. Brothers and sisters, your trials, my trials…they will all pass if we put our trust in the Lord. He will not falter. He will not lead us astray. He will not give up on us and we can not give up on Him.
“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.” (Ps. 55:22)
Faith is not hoping everything turns out the way you want it. Faith is putting your trust in the Lord, knowing that he will take care of you. Faith is an understanding that the Lord will look out for your best interest, not just your desires. He knows the desires of your heart, but if you put your trust in Him, he will not fail you. This can be a very challenging concept, believe me, I know! Life changes and sometimes our turmoil feels like more than we can bear. But our Father in Heaven has made promises to us that if we are faithful, he will provide for us, protect us and never lead us astray. We all have personal challenges where we simply have to stop, recognize and put it faithfully in the Lord’s hands.
In 2nd and 3rd Nephi we learn that “the Lord will work mighty miracles in our life according to our faith. Faith in Jesus Christ helps us receive spiritual and physical healing through His Atonement”. In Helaman we learn that “when times of trial come, faith can give us strength to press forward and face our hardships with courage. Even when the future seems uncertain, our faith in the Savior can give us peace”.
I haven’t spoken in sacrament meeting since I was in the single’s branch in Yakima, Washington about 13 years ago. When I heard my voicemail asking me to speak about Faith, I laughed. I laughed because this is the one concept I have struggled with the most over the last four years and also the one concept I have relied upon the most over the last four months. I have learned to depend on my faith to get my children and me through our current tribulations. I can attest that each time an obstacle has occurred, I have received an immediate solution. Immediate. Not necessarily with our material needs, but with the needs I constantly pray for. Needs I never even asked for. The needs I surrender to my Father in heaven. I am not exaggerating when I say that I no doubt that my Heavenly Father knows me. He knows what is best for my family and He is continually watching over us.
I know that our Heavenly Father lives. I believe in the atonement of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge every day the foundation my parents gave me and I desire to provide this same foundation for my own children. It is never too late to choose the right. It is never too late to endure to the end. Increase your faith and your blessings will be endless. Put your faith in Him and he will gladly accept you with open arms.
Brothers and sisters, set aside your sins, repent unto the Lord and have faith. Have faith, as I have, that he will guide you. Have faith, as I have, that he will not lead you astray. Have faith, as I have, that he will protect you and your family. Have faith that by living the simple elements of the gospel, he will lead you back to his presence.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
