Robust Mortal Experience

Last September we had a Regional Conference Broadcast to 139 Stakes in Utah County and parts of Wasatch County plus 17 BYU Stakes; a possible audience half a million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of the speakers was Julie B Beck, General Relief Society President. She said something that resonated with me. I wrote it down and have applied its words many times in the last year. She said that we are "having a Robust Mortal Experience!" I love that! It acknowledges that life is not easy nor was it meant to be. BUT when we have faith in Jesus Christ we are able to meet those robust experiences with courage, faith and a knowledge that the Lord will not leave us alone in our struggles.

This truth is also testified to by Helaman speaking to his sons; Nephi and Lehi.

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. Helaman 5:12

These last two weeks have been a Robust Mortal Experience for our family! It was two weeks ago this morning that our little Chloe was born 4 weeks early and within 90 minutes we found out that our little Dylan's heartbeat had stopped in utero; he was delivered, stillborn, 36 hours later. We made a fast trip to the AV for Dylan's graveside service on August 4th- the 30th anniversary of Amanda's death. Then this last Sunday Camille had a miscarriage.

Why do I share these happenings that many people would refer to as tragedies? Because I am here as a witness that the Lord will hold us firmly in His loving arms, rooted on His sure Foundation; "a foundation whereon if [we] build [we] cannot fall!"

Have we been sad? Yes, of course. Have we cried for our losses and rejoiced in the triumph of little Chloe? Yes.

But in spite of, or perhaps, because of, our Robust Mortal Experience we know of the Lord's love and caring for us and we know that He will never leave us alone in the storm.