Friday, May 8, 2015

Self-Reliance Tip of the Week - I Ain't Skeered!

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Say yer prayers ya flea bitten varmint..

My family loves to watch Looney Toons. We get a kick out of Grandpa Petitt (and Tenney) laughing out loud at Wiley Coyote, Roadrunner, Bugs Bunny and all the rest of the crazy crew. It is so amazing to me that one man did all the voices for those characters. One of our favorite quotes by Yosemite Sam when he says, "I ain't skeered." 

I think we all know the type. Those little fellas who want to look tougher than they are. He might have what we would call "little man syndrome" or "his bark is louder than his bite". But, I think Yosemite might be one of my heros. He will take anything on despite his height, or maybe a slight lack of brain power. He even promoted prayer :).

Elder David A. Bednar last month in General Conference spoke about fear. He said:

"In our daily lives, endless reports of criminal violence, famine, wars, corruption, terrorism, declining values, disease, and the destructive forces of nature can engender fear and apprehension. Surely we live in the season foretold by the Lord: “And in that day … the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them” (D&C 45:26).

My purpose is to describe how fear is dispelled through a correct knowledge of and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I earnestly pray the Holy Ghost will bless each of us as we consider together this important topic."

We don't have to look far to find that this is indeed true. In fact, without the proper knowledge, it can be terrifying. There is some crazy doggie poopie going on right now. If we aren't careful, we can become paralyzed by it. We can't kick all the bad guy's hineys. We can't stop earthquakes. We can't stop ____________ (enter any number of things) So... what can we do? 

Elder Bednar explains some things and gives some excellent advice:

  • Adam and Eve first felt fear in the Garden of Eden after they had transgressed - it is part of our mortal existence.
  • Alma exhorted the people to not be fearful, but to call on God for deliverance. As they did so, they hushed their own fears.
  • Jesus said when we do works of righteousness, we will receive peace. (D&C 59:23)
  • Trust in Christ. Confidence in Him (and his plan) brings hope.
  • ...and much more

He also explains when Peter walked in water for a short period of time before he began to sink, only when he took his eyes off the Savior, and noticed or (focused on) the wind and waves did he begin to sink and cried out. Are we different today? When we take our focus off of Christ, we notice all the things wrong with this world and forget the promises he has made to the faithful. When we replace our fears with faith, we begin to see miracles happen. This is my favorite scripture of all time. 

“Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Helaman 5:12).


That's pretty incredible if you ask me. Thank you Yosemite Sam for reminding me to say my prayers, and thank you Elder Bednar for reminding me why we say our prayers. We can look at those dark clouds and with confidence say, "I Ain't Skeered."

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