Staying Committed When Facing Offense, Hurt, or Trials: Eme Martin

I have learned in my little life to let the Lord lead me, to walk beside me, to let Him guide me. Especially when times are tough, to let Him be my anchor, my strength. It is not always easy. Sometimes our hearts want to stay hard. We feel justified when we’ve been hurt. But the best way to move forward is to faithfully let Him love us.

I think of a time when, in the service of the kingdom, I was striving to be my best self, but that was not being received well. And it was not only not being received well, but it was—I was experiencing a lot of misjudgments and mistreatment to the point that it really made me consider, “Do I keep serving? Is this a space and place for me?” I really felt like I was at my spiritual breaking point, and I had a decision to make. Do I let the Lord love me, or do I find solace in other sources?

And with contemplation, I realized that I needed and wanted the Lord in my life and His associated blessings more than I didn’t. That I wanted the blessing of the weekly sacrament and its replenishment for my soul. Being able to access the temple and the covenants therein. And so, as I kept that as my focus, it helped me to forgive. It helped me to look past the imperfections of the mistreatments and recognize that I was here for a bigger purpose. That I was here to receive blessings and to hopefully be a blessing to others. To not let this become a stumbling block but a stepping stone in my faith. And so as I prayed and leaned into the Lord, I found strength to let go—to let go of the hurt, to not hold or harbor the hate that was trying to fester in my spirit—but to let the Lord succor and give me strength to move forward faithfully.

Sisters, you are known. The Lord is aware, and He cares for you. He knows your name, He knows your heartaches, He knows your joys, and He wants to love you. He wants you to let Him in. He is aware of the burdens you are carrying. He loves you and wants you to feel that love from Him. It is a neighbor, it is a sister, it is a friend who offers the blessing of that succor and that support. Let them in. Let them encircle you in the arms of their love through their service.