Stick in there

I have a friend who said that there was a time – because of severe depression – that she didn’t feel anything when she went to church. She didn’t want to go, she was feeling horrible, and basically this could have ended her testimony if she had not been careful. She knew that even though she was struggling, if she just went through the motions for a while, that eventually she would come out of her depression. She said that going through the motions for a while - keeping herself surrounded by things that would nourish her testimony- made getting back into the swing of things a lot easier. How much harder would it have been to come back to church if she had stopped attending church for those months? So I guess the lesson is that when things get hard and you are feeling overwhelmed go through the motions anyway. Even if it’s all you can do, because eventually you will come out of the other side of your trial and you need to decide now where you want to end up when you do come out.

Alma 1:25
“Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them.”