First and foremost is realizing that life is hard. This life is a test, a “time to prepare to meet God”. The Lord is not going to make life as had as possible, just as hard as necessary. Those obstacles which he places in our lives are those things which we need, the crosses we actually need to bear. There is temptation, but none above which we can bear. There is sin, but also repentance. There is discouragement, but also faith. For every problem we face, there is an answer.
How does the adversary seek to work against us in these situations? His main weapon is discouragement. We all do things we know we should not. Inherent to each of us is an awareness of when we have fallen short. There are feelings of guilt and anger at one’s self, and often, a drop in self-esteem. The whispers of the Adversary tell you that you have failed, to just give up…However, we cannot give in to these subtle murmurings.
We are not perfect, the Lord knows we will fail short and fail. Although we were commanded to be perfect, He knows we will never live up to that standard in this life. Does that mean we should not try? Of course not. The experience of this life is part of our preparation to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. We must continually try.
Another key to holding up against the temptations of life is to have a better sense your personal self-importance and your relationship to your Heavenly Father. Recognizing your self-worth and getting cocky are two different things. While humility should not develop into an inferiority complex, knowing that you are important and valuable in the eyes of the Lord should not become a superiority complex.
A great example of discovering self-worth while retaining humility in the scriptures is Moses. In the first chapter of the Book of Moses, we read about the incredible experience that Moses had, having the chance to talk face to face with the Lord. The Lord told Moses he had a great work to do in this life. When the presence of the Lord withdrew from Moses, he lost all his strength. He awoke and said “I know that man is nothing, which I had never before supposed.” After seeing the greatness and glory of God, Moses could see how small he was in grand scheme of things.
At this point, it would have been easy for Moses to fall back, to question his place and importance after seeing how small he was. However, the Lord had other ideas. As the story continues, Satan soon appeared to Moses, telling Moses to worship him. Here, the evil one tempted him, trying to reinforce and play on feelings of insignificance. Moses withstood these temptations and commanded Satan to depart. Moses proved that although he had been humbled and shown his weaknesses, he was still strong enough to withstand temptation and doubt. For this, Moses was blessed.
God told Moses of wonderful blessings and responsibilities that laid in store for him. After that, he was shown the same vision that was seen by John, Nephi and others, the history of the world from its foundation. The Lord, explained, that “this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man”. (Moses 1:39)
Moses could now see that man was everything to God. As a loving father, His whole purpose was to provide blessings for us and allow us a way to return to Him. While it may seem that we are small and insignificant, we are everything to the Lord and the focus of all that He does.
It is so important to remember who we are, why we are here. Do I know who I am? Are we who we think we are? If not, then maybe we should strive to remember all of God’s blessings and where we stand within His plan.
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