"Our faith can help us be equally bold and fearless during the course of our respective journeys, whether we are parents working with a troubled child, a single parent trying to raise a worthy family, young people struggling to find a place in a wicked and confusing world, or a single person trying to make the journey through life alone. No matter how difficult the trail, and regardless of how heavy our load, we can take comfort in knowing that others before us have borne life’s most grievous trials and tragedies by looking to heaven for peace, comfort, and hopeful assurance. We can know as they knew that God is our Father, that He cares about us individually and collectively, and that as long as we continue to exercise our faith and trust in Him there is nothing to fear in the journey. Like the pioneers of 1847 who ventured west along a trail that kept them relatively close to life-sustaining fresh water from rivers, particularly the Platte and the Sweetwater, we need to follow and partake of the Living Water of Christ to refresh our faith and sustain our efforts as we travel the road through mortality.
"Life isn't always easy. At some point in our journey we may feel much as the pioneers did as they crossed Iowa—up to our knees in mud, forced to bury some of our dreams along the way. We all face rocky ridges, with the wind in our face and winter coming on too soon. Sometimes it seems as though there is no end to the dust that stings our eyes and clouds our vision. Sharp edges of despair and discouragement jut out of the terrain to slow our passage. Always, there is a Devil's Gate, which will swing wide open to lure us in. Those who are wise and faithful will steer a course as far from such temptation as possible, while others—sometimes those who are nearest and dearest to us—succumb to the attraction of ease, comfort, convenience, and rest. Occasionally we reach the top of one summit in life, as the pioneers did, only to see more mountain peaks ahead, higher and more challenging than the one we have just traversed. Tapping unseen reservoirs of faith and endurance, we, as did our forebears, inch ever forward toward that day when our voices can join with those of all pioneers who have endured in faith, singing: 'All is well! All is well!' (Hymns, no. 30)."
- M. Russell Ballard, "You Have Nothing to Fear from the Journey," Ensign, May 1997, pp. 59-61
Click here to read the full talk
This was one of Elder Ballard's addresses during the 1997 sesquicentennial commemoration (150 years) of the pioneer legacy. He had some great counsel as he compared our challenges to those of that earlier time. We have difficult trails in life too, for a variety of reasons. But he encourages us to remember that we are not the first to have traveled challenging paths; others have survived their own journeys that included "life's more grievous trials and tragedies by looking to heaven for peace, comfort, and hopeful assurance." We have a Father who "cares about us individually and collectively" and will help to make any journey possible.
Much of the pioneer journey carefully followed rivers, such as the Platte and the Sweetwater. One key to the journey is to stay close to the source of Living Water:
Elder Ballard's symbolic comparison between the obstacles faced by the pioneers and the challenges of our lives was interesting:
- up to our knees in mud
- forced to bury some of our dreams along the way
- facing rocky ridges, with the wind in our face and winter coming on too soon
- no end to the dust that stings our eyes and clouds our vision
- sharp edges of despair and discouragement jut out of the terrain to slow our passage
- confronted by a Devil's Gate of sin or temptation
- seemingly never-ending challenges like mountain peak after mountain peak
But always and forever, we have available the ability to "[tap] unseen reservoirs of faith and endurance" in order to arrive at a blessed destination, and to be able to remember along the way, regardless of the apparent trials and setbacks, "All is well."
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