Years ago, I was reading the Teachings and Commentaries on the Doctrine and Covenants, a resource that I dearly love. I came upon the account of what moved the early pioneer saints to be willing to sacrifice everything, including their lives, to build up the Church. After reading, I was reminded of the discussion I was in charge of in Relief Society for that month; The Eye of Faith, by Elder Neil L. Anderson. Certain passages of that lesson focused upon the necessity of living in the world without being of the world. While reading the Doctrine and Covenants commentary days later, I remembered that part of Elder Anderson’s talk. Suddenly, I could not help but compare the early Restoration period with our own concerning the distractions of the world. It quickly became clear why many struggle to maintain their faith.
I had never compared the effect of current world distractions on faith and testimony versus that of other periods in history. Moving forward to today and how much has changed in just a few years, it is devastating to see how shifts in world society have caused a distraction from faith for many. I began to comprehend that, even though the early saints faced many physical hardships and threats we do not have to contend with, in contrast, we are presented with challenges on levels beyond what they could have imagined. Satan has upped his game; now that physical threats and intimidation are not the only way to play the game, he has moved on to an even more lethal playing field; the mind.
Firstly, let’s take a look at our pioneer ancestors and the distractions they faced. Just how noisy was their world? Compared with today’s convenience of instant news, radio, television, and other channels of entertainment that come with a click, the world of the average pioneer anywhere in the United States in the mid to late 1800’s was quiet, more reserved, and more settled. That is not to say, however, that things were not tense, it is just that news traveled slower, and they were not exposed to so much trauma and instability worldwide at one time. There are a few exceptions such as people of persecution, and the Latter Day Saint pioneers fall into that category.
Early pioneers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are not to be considered independent in the category of 19th-century human suffering. People of color were enduring their own trials with slavery, and persecution of the Native American tribes was continually increasing. This type of human behavior is far removed from how Christ taught us to be toward those who we find different or disagree with. For
The tools of the adversary in the 19th nineteenth century were less aggressive. After all, he can only work with what advances we have evolved in. The way that he distracted strong believers was comprised of things that were a physical or visual threat; something that you could see coming, such as a militia or a mob of men with blackened faces carrying torches. Being aware of the possibilities of such threats, families listened and watched for any indication of approaching troubles; torches in the night, twigs snapping, dogs being alerted, and the marching of many men or rushing of horse’s hooves. Then, there were the odd times when members of the Church had friends who were not of their faith that would warn them of planned attacks. This is what the early Latter-Day Saint pioneers had to deal with; the constant threat, always on the ready, and never a moment to truly relax and feel safe. How did they stay strong? How was it that, even though many did fall away and become persecutors as well, the greater number of them stayed true to their faith?
One example of trial by fire was when the Saints were in Missouri during the 1838-1839 period. When persecutions began to rise, many of the men were in hiding or on the run, leaving the women to band together and fend for themselves. In the case of the Smith family there was one point where many men of the family were gone. Joseph and Hyrum were in Liberty Jail, Samuel Smith had taken his nephew Arthur Millikin who had been injured at the battle of Crooked River, and he fled to Illinois because the mob was seeking to take his life. Just before the Battle of Crooked River, Don Carlos Smith had departed for a mission to the east. On October 18, 1838 Just weeks after leaving for his mission, Don Carlos’ wife Agnes was pushed out of her home with her little children. Agnes was fearful of mob attacks since the troubles in Missouri began. She slept with her children and did not undress so as to be on the ready if they needed to move fast. One evening her fears were realized as angry, drunken men burst through the door of her cabin, carried her out on a mattress and left her there. In the cold winter’s night air, she protectively held her new baby and her daughter Agnes who was just two years old was with her. The mob had taken all of her household goods then burned the cabin but she had escaped, “By the skin of my teeth.” She traveled in darkness, leaving footprints of blood in the snow that was over “shoemouth” deep to Big Muddy Creek, a tributary of the Grand River, there she would cross the frigid water which was waist deep. Little Agnes clung to her with legs wrapped around her neck, and she held the babe snuggly against her breast. They arrived at the Cabin of Lyman Wight about an hour before midnight. By the time they arrived they had traveled over three miles. Many other women and children received this same treatment.
I couldn’t imagine having to go through such a traumatic experience! To have the strength to flee in that environment took immeasurable faith and fortitude. She had been very weakened by the birth of her child. It is evident that these pioneers, and many people of faith of that time, had a very strong relationship with the Lord. They truly believed with His support they could push through any trial, and they walked forward in the face of each tribulation, one after the other, enduring and growing with each turn of events. They did not have the distractions we do today. In the evening when everyone was home the time was spent reading the family bible as well as other books. There were discussions at the table or around the fireplace. They engaged in fervent prayer. I remember reading where my 3rd great grandmother, Lucy Mack Smith, spent three hours ill and on her knees in prayer to be relieved of her sickness and she was. My second great grandmother, Emma Hale Smith pressed forward through all of these persecutions, losing children along the way, because she could not deny what she knew to be true. She found most of her strength through constant prayer. These were people who were blessed to receive direct revelation and miracles that saved them many times because of their commitment to the Lord and staying close to Him.
Today, we have those same capabilities of staying strong, but as I said, the adversary has upped his game. He no longer has to stir the anxiety of people using a physical threat like sending a militia. Now all he has to do is stir the minds of people into darkness; porn, dark music, racism, getting offended easily, cries of inequality that bring about criticism against man and God. It all starts out so subtly. Unlike a militia or mob storming into your home, it is subtly seeping into your mind within your home, through your eyes; Facebook posts, fake news that stir hearts against one another, a movie that doesn’t seem harmless at first but there are just a few bad things, you dismiss them because the movie is just that good. Before long many boundaries have been broached and you find yourself dismissing much more than you used to, until finally you have jumped onto the bandwagon that God’s laws are outdated, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young made mistakes so the Church isn’t true, Church history is contradicting itself, etc.
Any excuse sounds like a good reason to walk away so that you can fit in with the world and feel as if you are accepted by those around you. Because, let’s face it, fully staying true to the teachings of Christ sets one apart from the majority…from the world. However, that is exactly what we are supposed to be, set apart from the world while we are living in it. The way that Christ lived His life was at odds with the norm in His society, and He has said that those who follow Him must be willing to accept such an existence. It made Him unpopular, but He found a way to live in the world and not be of it. He has shown us how to do it as well.
Still, even when we are at our strongest, situations can be stirred to bend our faith and break it. An example of how even the most devoted can be tried is when Peter, one of the strongest of Jesus’ followers, had a weak moment when he denied Christ. When you compare that with mistakes that people of God have made since then it is huge. Still, the gospel was not thrown under the bus, Peter repented, they all came together and magnified what the Lord had taught them, continuing to build His church. In other words, they didn’t jump ship because mistakes were made.
How did the early Saints stay true and gain immeasurable strength? They never compromised their beliefs. No matter what was put before them, they could not deny what they had seen and experienced. They stayed in communication with the Lord and prayed endlessly. They studied scripture and continued to cultivate the pure love of Christ. This is how we manage to love everyone; despite their choices in life and what things we disagree on. We can live in the world, not be of the world, yet love every human being. We can stay true to our faith no matter what strangeness or contradictions in history we run into. This world can be a tilt-a-whirl that can spin out of control fast, but the Savior is the balance, and as long as we hold on to Him, we will never fall off.