Salt Leaven and Light

Overcoming feelings of hopelessness is a battle most people face at one time or another. Thankfully, faithful men and women from history have shown us that hope always has the power to shine through.

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It Began Like This

“I feel so (negative emotion).”

“I am so excited about __________!”

“My stomach constantly feels _________, and I’m not sure why.”

“I’m looking forward to __________. It will be so much fun!”

“I’m tired of feeling __________.”

“I feel like God is inviting me to share my _________ talents with others. I can’t wait to get started!“

This is a brief (and privacy-protected) glimpse into a conversation my daughter and I recently had, where we went back and forth sharing with each other both the wonderful and the difficult emotions we were experiencing in the moment.

The good.

The bad.

The beautiful.

The ugly.

All happening simultaneously.

Such a mixture of exciting dreams for the future and overwhelming negative emotions creates quite a stir in one’s soul (and stomach), the symptoms of which have no easy remedy.

Lesson from History

Well into the early hours of the morning, in a last-ditch effort to find relief before retiring to bed, we found ourselves discussing individuals from history:

Photo by Wim van ‘t Einde on Unsplash

Martin Luther

Martin Luther suffered from a severely debilitating kind of spiritual depression, or a lack of trust in God’s promises. Yet, he pressed forward and, in later years, his brave actions would put into play a chain reaction of events that would forever change the world.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln led our country through the great and terrible battles of the Civil War, yet his greatest battle, by far, was his own depression. Despite this never-ending battle with depression, he pressed forward, became the President our country needed during that pivotal time in history, and on January 1, 1863, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, an event that would change the course of history.

Charles Schultz

Charles M. Schultz, the creator of characters like Charlie Brown and Snoopy in his comic series Peanuts, suffered from intense anxiety issues. Shultz once shared in an interview that he had awful feelings of impending doom, and that he woke each day to a funeral-like atmosphere. Shultz, however, chose to press forward. He continued to spread happiness and laughter throughout the world, by way of his Peanuts characters, despite the negative emotions that threatened to hold him hostage.

My daughter and I drew strength from these examples of faithful individuals who chose to continually press forward, despite the personal obstacles they encountered in their daily lives.

They endure hard things, and accomplished great things.

In Good Company

If you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed by anxiety or depression or feelings of hopelessness, wondering how you’ll ever make it through, remember that so, too, did some of the greatest individuals in history.

Rest assured that you and I and my daughter are in good company.

Scriptures

“The rewards for those who persevere far exceed the pain that must precede the victory.” – Ted Engstrom

“Press forward…” (2 Nephi 31:20)

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7)

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