Ten Scriptures that Can Get Me Through Anything

Whenever I get a new set of scriptures, there are a few places I go to first to mark them. Even though I could make my way back to these verses from memory, my scriptures don't really feel like mine until I've been to them.

1. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

These first two were on my wall when I was a teenager. I don't even remember when I found them. My scripture reading method at the time was to just flip around randomly in the Bible until I found something that spoke to me.

2. Romans 8:35-39

Because my family and friends didn't accept my decision to be baptized and were constantly undermining my beliefs and life decisions, reading these verses reassured me that nothing they were trying to do would ultimately succeed.

3. Psalm 27

Everyone needs a psalm that speaks to them in their suffering, and this one is mine. Everything about it speaks directly to my heart, especially verse 10. This psalm teaches me what it looks like to hold my head above water. It couldn't speak any better to my heart if I had written it myself.

4. 1 Nephi 21:15-16

Similar to Psalm 27:10, these verses remind me that even though my relationships with my parents are full of painful memories I wish I didn't have, I have a Savior who has been with me through all of it. There is someone who loves me and sees me for who I am, even when my parents cannot.

5. Isaiah 62:1

This is the scripture I would've put on my mission plaque if I'd had one. It speaks to the part of me that truly never wants to give up on anybody, the tenacity of holiness, and the refusal to quit.

6. Mosiah 11-17

Abinadi. Enough said.

7. Alma 32

This was the first chapter in the Book of Mormon I ever read. It was the reason I got baptized. It's also the chapter in the Book of Mormon I've come back to the most throughout my life, especially when I struggle with my relationships with other members of the Church. The Church is not the focus of my worship. Jesus Christ is. Every time I've needed that reminder, I've ended up spending time in this chapter.

8. Alma 36

There is no better description than this chapter of what it feels like to be redeemed by Jesus Christ. It perfectly captures the joy of repentance. It gets me every time.

9. 3 Nephi 22

This was the chapter I ended up reading after I sent my father a copy of the Book of Mormon, shortly before he ended up passing away. It was a difficult thing for me to do because we were estranged. This was the message I got from God letting me know that he was proud of me, that he would bless me for doing the best I could with a really difficult situation, and the blessings in this chapter were the ones he was saving especially for me.

10. 2 Nephi 26:23-33

This is the chapter I have probably quoted the most when I'm teaching other members of the Church. I love it because it teaches the universal love of God for all of his children, with specificity about the issues most prevalent in our day.

The Truth

"We don't always know the details of our future. We do not know what lies ahead. We live in a time of uncertainty. We are surrounded by challenges on all sides. Occasionally discouragement may sneak into our day; frustration may invite itself into our thinking; doubt might enter about the value of our work. In these dark moments Satan whispers in our ears that we will never be able to succeed, that the price isn't worth the effort, and that our small part will never make a difference. He, the father of all lies, will try to prevent us from seeing the end from the beginning." Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I saw this among the daily quotes and news I have e-mailed to me from the Church. The timing on this one is perfect, because I truly am in the midst of challenges and trials. My mother has decided that the proper way to punish me is keeping me home from church, which has got to be the most asinine thing I've ever heard. Did she ever stop to think that I stayed home from school because I was too exhausted to move? She assumes the worst in everything I do, and I'm really tired of it. And of course, she couldn't resist using her new favorite phrase:

"No church."

This will be the 3rd week now... but I won't tolerate this anymore. I'm making arrangements to have the Sacrament blessed and brought to me. That should show the adversary that he picked the wrong person to screw with.

What kills me is that there will be people in my branch that would happily trade places with me and be at home rather than at church. What I would trade to be in the chapel on Sunday, instead of in my room, in tears, because I can't go to church!!! And despite my trials, my faith has not wavered. At all. If anything, I've gained a testimony of how ruthless Satan is. He will not hesitate to use ANY means necessary to tear down the Church. He would put my own mother against me in order to cause me to hate her, and to divide me from my family.

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed" 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

The scriptures have been a great source of comfort to me throughout this ordeal, and I'm so grateful for the Bible AND the Book of Mormon. Alma has proved to be a great source of inspirational scriptures, as well as the D&C... and I think what I ought to do is write my testimony out and have someone read it on Sunday so my testimony can still be heard. If Satan is working this hard to keep me from the Church, I must have something in my mind he REALLY doesn't want me to say.

Now to go figure out what it is so I can thwart his plan!