There is Sunshine in my Soul today

(Walking on Sunshine by Yvonne Coomber)

There is sunshine in my soul today,

More glorious and bright

Than glows in any earthly sky,

For Jesus is my light.

There is music in my soul today,

A carol to my King,

And Jesus listening can hear

The songs I cannot sing.

There is springtime in my soul today,

For when the Lord is near,

The dove of peace sings in my heart,

The flowers of grace appear.

There is gladness in my soul today,

And hope and praise and love,

For blessings which he gives me now,

For joys "laid up" above.

Oh, there's sunshine, blessed sunshine

When the peaceful happy moments roll.

When Jesus shows his smiling face,

There is sunshine in the soul.

Dear brothers and sisters I am so grateful to be here today as a member of the Mumbai Branch family. I am grateful for that beautiful hymn by Eliza Hewitt that I just read. I am so grateful to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. There is sunshine in my soul! However, as one who struggles with anxiety and depression and fear there isn't always sunshine in my soul. Elder Quentin L. Cook has said, “We must live by faith and not by fear.” Today I'd like to share some ways to endure our own personal struggles and trials by choosing faith and trusting in the Lord.

So how do we live by faith?

Alma 5:26 says,

And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?

I think the first step is to want to live by faith.

This past General Conference Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a talk entitled “Songs Sung and Unsung”. This was one of those talks that I thought was particularly addressed to me.

Elder Holland says, “Among the realities we face as children of God living in a fallen world is that some days are difficult, days when our faith and our fortitude are tested. These challenges may come from a lack in us, a lack in others, or just a lack in life, but whatever the reasons, we find they can rob us of songs we so much want to sing and darken the promise of “springtime in the soul”.

He lists some things that can darken that promise such as:

staggering economic inequality in the world;

mental and emotional illness or other debilitating health limitations;

complex societal issues;

He further says that the only way these things, “can ever be satisfactorily resolved is by loving God and keeping His commandments, thus opening the door to the one lasting, salvific way to love each other as neighbors.”

And the prophet Ether taught that we should “hope for a better world.” Reading that thought a thousand years later, war- and violence-weary Moroni declared that the “more excellent way” to that world will always be the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2 Nephi 26:33says:

For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.

The Apostle Paul’s counsel in Romans 8:25 says, “...we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”

Ether 12:4 says:

Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said,

“I invite you to embrace what the Lord has blessed you with and to act in faith. Do not take counsel from your fears.

To not take counsel from our fears simply means that we do not permit fear and uncertainty to determine our course in life…

To not take counsel from our fears means that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ overrules our fears and that we press forward with a steadfastness in Him.”

These scriptures and quotes from our latter-day prophets and apostles teach us that we need to trust Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, have faith, and have hope. But again, how do we do that in our daily lives?

I came across a blog post on lds.org this week entitled, “The Practice of Choosing Faith.” by Ariel Szuch. She shares 4 steps we can do to choose faith everyday.

The first step is:

1. Do Your Job and Let God Do His

She says, “For me, a lot of fear comes from feeling like I have to do everything alone. I get the idea that I somehow have the responsibility to make everything work out, and when I can’t (because it’s not my job), I feel fearful and hopeless. Essentially, much of my fear stems from trying to do God’s job instead of mine.”

Mosiah 23:27-28 reads,

But Alma went forth and stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but that they should remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them. Therefore they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord

Sister Szuch says, “In all aspects of life, I can choose faith over fear when I realize that it isn’t my job to make everything in my life work out—I can do my part, recognize that other people have their agency, and let God do the rest.”

The second step is:

2. Kneel and Pray. Then Go and Do.

In Alma 37:41, Alma reminds his son Helaman about their ancestors. He says, “Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. BUT- They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey.”

Sister Szuch says, “Praying was good, but sitting and doing nothing out of fear was not the way to receive an answer and “progress in [my] journey.” I knew I needed to make my choice and move forward with faith, and the way would be made known to me. So I did. I still have the occasional freak-out moment, but God has provided many assurances that my choice was a good one as I have chosen to lay aside my fears and move forward, trusting in Him and His guidance.”

The third step is:

3. Remember in Whom We Have Trusted.

She says, “When I feel like fear consumes me, it is often because I have forgotten in whom I am placing my trust. I am subconsciously afraid that God won’t help me because I’m not measuring up in some way, and I’ll be left to walk my path alone.”

“At times like these, I’m reminded of 2 Nephi 4:18-20 that say, “ I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me. Nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support.”

She says, “In moments of fear and when I find myself doubting God’s help, I have to remind myself who it is I’m talking about. This is Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, He who knows all things, who overcame all things, and who will help me overcome all things too. He will NEVER abandon me or anyone else who places their trust in Him.”

This last step is actually her conclusion. But I'd like to recap:

1st- Do your job and let God do his.

2nd- Kneel and pray, then go and do.

3rd- Remember in whom we have trusted.

Now 4th- Choosing Faith is a Practice, or

4. The Practice of Choosing Faith

She says, “More than anything, I’ve learned over time that choosing faith isn’t a big, one-time choice (like “I’ve chosen faith, and therefore I will never have any doubts or fears ever again!”)—BUT it’s a practice.

It’s an ongoing effort made up of many smaller choices strung together over days and months and years. There are ups and downs, and I may not always progress as fast as I think I should, but God is patient with my progress, and if He is, I can be too. He is pleased with every effort; all He asks is that I keep trying and keep turning to Him instead of clinging to my fears. And I can do that.”

Alma 26:13 says:

Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?

When we are in the middle of our struggles we may think it would just be easier to give up. Elder Holland tell us why we shouldn't. He says, “You are unique; you are irreplaceable. Believe in yourself, and believe in [the Lord]. Don’t demean your worth or denigrate your contribution.”

He further says, “There is room for those who speak different languages, celebrate diverse cultures, and live in a host of locations. There is room for the single, for the married, for large families, and for the childless. There is room for those who once had questions regarding their faith and room for those who still do. There is room for those with differing sexual attractions. [There is room] for everyone who loves God and honors His commandments as the inviolable measuring rod for personal behavior, for if love of God is the melody of our shared song, surely our common quest to obey Him is the indispensable harmony in it. With divine imperatives of love and faith, repentance and compassion, honesty and forgiveness, there is room in this choir for all who wish to be there. “Come as you are,” a loving Father says to each of us, but He adds, “Don’t plan to stay as you are.” We smile and remember that God is determined to make of us more than we thought we could be.”

I'd like to close with 3 more quotes that are significant to me.

On the blog, Zelophehad's Daughters, Lynnette says, "...My status as a beloved child of God who is worthy of blessing and care is exactly the same — exactly (the same)— regardless of where I currently am in my (struggles and tribulations).” [emotional cycle, regardless of whether I am accomplishing a ton and am happy and positive to boot, or whether I haven’t left my bed in three days.]

Lowell C. Bennion says, "If we thought of life as a gift, we might not demand nearly as much from it. And if we lived more graciously, giving of ourselves more freely to the well-being of others, many of our personal concerns would disappear, and life would become easier for all."

This last quote has an anonymous source, but I love it. "How wonderful it is that we laugh because our bodies cannot contain the joy."

I hope as each of us faces our own personal struggles and trials that we will be able to endure them well by choosing faith and trusting in the Lord. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.