Faith

"There are those among you who, although young, have already suffered a full measure of grief and sorrow. My heart is filled with compassion and love for you. How dear you are to the Church. How beloved you are of your Heavenly Father. Though it may seem that you are alone, angels attend you. Though you may feel that no one can understand the depth of your despair, our Savior, Jesus Christ, understands. He suffered more than we can possibly imagine, and He did it for us; He did it for you. You are not alone."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Your Happily Ever After”, May 2010

“He is your beloved Heavenly Father, who seeks your good, your happiness. He desires with all the love of a perfect and pure Father that you reach your supernal destination. . . . All you have to do is trust your Heavenly Father. Trust Him enough to follow His plan.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Your Happily Ever After”, May 2010

"I bear witness of the power of the priesthood given to the Church to protect us and guide us. And because we have that, we have no fear of the future. Fear is the opposite of faith. We move forward, certain that the Lord will watch over us, particularly in the family."

Boyd K. Packer, “The Power of the Priesthood”, May 2010

"Our understanding of and faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ will provide strength and capacity needed for a successful life."

Richard G. Scott, “He Lives! All Glory to His Name!”, May 2010

"Faith as the assurance of things hoped for looks to the future. This assurance is founded upon a correct understanding about, and trust in, God and enables us to 'press forward' (2 Nephi 31:20) into uncertain and often challenging situations in the service of the Savior."

David A. Bednar, “Seek Learning by Faith”, September 2007

"A stronger personal faith in Jesus Christ will prepare [your children] for the challenges they will most surely face."

Neil L. Andersen, “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus”, May 2010

"The vast majority of the Utah pioneers got their first glimpse of the sagebrush, sego lily, salt-flat desert landscape of this Great Salt Lake Valley on foot. Some even arrived barefoot after having suffered extreme hardships in traversing over 1,300 miles of prairie, desert, and mountain wilderness. Before the railroad reached the Utah Territory in 1869, approximately 70,000 pioneers, 9,600 wagons, and 650 handcarts made the trek from Winter Quarters in present-day Iowa and Nebraska to the Salt Lake Valley. Each pioneer who walked from the Mississippi River to the Great Salt Lake took millions of steps to travel that distance. Under favorable circumstances, the trek took a little more than three months. Traveling 15 miles in a day was considered a good day. In total, billions of footsteps of faith were taken by our pioneers.”

M. Russell Ballard, “Faith in Every Footstep”, November 1996

"Brothers and sisters, we need to learn that early members of the Church succeeded in the face of all opposition because they had the unwavering faith to open their mouths and declare the truth and because they took with them the mighty sword of the Lord's Spirit (see D&C 27:16–18). They remembered their baptismal covenant 'to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places . . . even until death' (Mosiah 18:9)."

M. Russell Ballard, “Anchored by Faith and Commitment”, July 1995

"As it was then, so it is today. This precious and marvelous gift of faith, this gift from God our Eternal Father, is still the strength of this work and the quiet vibrancy of its message. Faith underlies it all. Faith is the substance of it all. Whether it be going into the mission field, living the Word of Wisdom, paying one's tithing, it is all the same. It is the faith within us that is evidenced in all we do."

Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Miracle of Faith”, May 2001

"We have much reason to hope. Joy can be ours if we are willing to sacrifice all for the Lord. Then we can look forward to the infinitely priceless possibility of overcoming all the challenges of this life. Then we will be with the Savior forever and, as President Brigham Young also said, "anticipate enjoying the glory, excellency and exaltation which God has prepared for the faithful'."

James E. Faust, “Where Do I Make My Stand?”, November 2004

               None of these other topics would matter so much if it weren’t for faith.  If we didn’t believe that there was any greater thing besides ourselves, or any higher authority to answer to, we would not try to stick to rules and higher laws that are set.  People would simply live how they wanted to live, without much regard to things besides their own happiness.

               Faith is what carries us through our darker times.  Faith that we will be helped, healed, shown the way, made stronger.  Faith is the root of hope.  It is the light that shines in the dark, and leads the way.  It is the promise that things will be alright, even when all seems lost.  In the most trying times, even when faith seems lost, it resides in the small corners of our hearts, waiting for us to call on it.