Overcoming Opposition

I taught the Young Women on Sunday and I can't stop thinking about the lesson and the Spirit that was in our classroom. It was called "Overcoming Opposition" and it just might be one of the most profound lessons I've ever read. In a nutshell it said "Opposition and sorrow are necessary for us to progress. We should not be afraid of such experiences nor become discouraged by them. By staying close to our Father in Heaven, we will have the strength to overcome these afflictions, and they will be consecrated for our gain." There was a lengthy quote from President Ezra Taft Benson where he gives twelve ways in which we can overcome sorrow, disappointment, and depression. My favorite is "Service" and this is the quote that went along with it from President Lorenzo Snow: "To lose yourself in righteous service to others can lift your sights and get your mind off personal problems, or at least put them in proper focus. When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, and then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated."
Of the 7 girls in my class that day 5 are investigating the church. I read a story about a girl in foster care who overcame her opposition in life, stayed close to the church and married in the Temple. Two of the girls in my class have experienced foster care. One girl who came for the first time told me after class that she ran away from home at 15, became addicted to drugs and alcohol, went to jail, spent time in a foster home, and is now (two years later) back with her mother trying to put her life in order. What a demonstration of the Lord's tender mercies to have this lesson on her first Sunday. I know it touched her heart. And speaking of hearts I read most of Gerald N. Lund's recent talk, "Opening Our Hearts" to the girls also. I think a very important thing he said is: "the condition of our hearts directly affects our sensitivity to spiritual things. Let us make it a part of our everyday striving to open our hearts to the Spirit. Since we are the guardians of our hearts, we can choose to do so. We choose what we let in or hold out. Fortunately the Lord is anxious to help us choose wisely".