church today

enduring to the end=rejoicing to the end

one of the teachers referenced a talk by one of the apostles, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, in which he expounded on the above idea. of all the things at church today, that little equation, which wasn't even the main topic and only mentioned briefly in passing, is the thing that grabbed my attention and stuck with me. why suffer through life when you can readjust your focus a little and see all the great things about it? each one of us has so much potential, whether we recognize it or not, and life is full of so many possibilities and adventure. let's enjoy it, let's enjoy each other, let's try to be the best selves we can be and explore the possibilities without worrying about failure because we can always try again or try something else. I wonder what Elder Uchtdorf had to say about it... I'll have to try to find his talk sometime...

ok, I just looked it up, and here's an excerpt (and here's a link to the whole talk, from last October's General Conference):

When I was a young boy, “endure to the end” meant to me mainly that I had to try harder to stay awake until the end of our Church meetings. Later as a teenager I progressed only slightly in my understanding of this scriptural phrase. I linked it with youthful empathy to the efforts of our dear elderly members to hang in there until the end of their lives.

Enduring to the end, or remaining faithful to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout our life, is a fundamental requirement for salvation in the kingdom of God. This belief distinguishes Latter-day Saints from many other Christian denominations that teach that salvation is given to all who simply believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ. The Lord clearly declared, “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7).

Therefore, enduring to the end is not just a matter of passively tolerating life’s difficult circumstances or “hanging in there.” Ours is an active religion, helping God’s children along the strait and narrow path to develop their full potential during this life and return to Him one day. Viewed from this perspective, enduring to the end is exalting and glorious, not grim and gloomy. This is a joyful religion, one of hope, strength, and deliverance. “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25).


so he didn't make exactly the equation as referenced in church, but I still like the idea of being strong and approaching life by paying attention to the great things and giving less heed to the obnoxious or disappointing parts. so let's go for it and see how great life can be! :)