Being a student is hard. We have a million things we need to get done in such a small window of time. Between school, family, work, and Church callings, where do we begin with trying to balance it all? I have always relied heavily on a daily planner. Every week, I make lists of the things I need to get done in that week. And then I make a daily list. I number the list by way of importance, and I feel a sense of accomplishment every time I check something off. I will admit that I am a little overboard when it comes to planning my day-to-day. But this is the only way I’ve found I can get things done. Without my planner, I am hopeless.
Fall 2018 was my first semester here at BYU–Idaho, and life was pretty good. I was married, active in church, going to school on a full scholarship, working two jobs, and taking 15 credits. My plate was full, but I took pride in the fact that I was able to do so much.
My husband, on the other hand, is a mechanical engineering student, and at the time was taking some pretty tough classes. On one particular occasion, he came home from taking a test and was excited about how well he performed. After I congratulated him on this great accomplishment, he looked to me and said, “There is no way I could make it in this world without relying on the Savior’s strength.” I thought to myself, “I married a great man.” But I truly felt that I personally didn’t need the Savior’s help at this time of my life. I was excelling on my own. Towards the end of the semester, after thinking my strength was good enough, I began to lose feeling in my legs. I found myself completing homework assignments in a hospital bed while the doctors ran test after test. I still was doing just fine relying on my own strength. It wasn’t until a team of doctors diagnosed me with multiple sclerosis that I understood that my own strength was no longer good enough. I felt weak, insecure, and incapable of doing anything on my own. I needed divine strength.
President Ezra Taft Benson said in his general conference address titled “Beware of Pride” that “God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble.” [1] This same principle was taught by Alma when he was teaching the Zoramites. He exclaimed, “Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.” [2] From my experience, I have realized that it is a lot easier to choose humility now instead of being compelled later. Would being diagnosed with a lifelong disease have been easier if I was already relying on my Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ? Most definitely! I was compelled to give up my pride and arrogance, I was compelled to see my inadequacies, and I was compelled to see my strength in Christ.
President Benson goes on to say in his talk, “We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are.” [3]
It is sometimes hard to humble ourselves, because we think perhaps it’s a huge change we have to make, when in reality it’s not. I will admit, saying things like “I’m sorry,” “That was inconsiderate of me,” or “I just wasn’t thinking” can seem pretty daunting in the moment. And although those are very humbling experiences, I have listed out a few of the ways President Benson says we can choose to be humble today.
He says we can choose to humble ourselves by:
- Forgiving those who have offended us.
- Rendering selfless service.
- Going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others.
- Getting to the temple more frequently.
- Confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God.
- Loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives. [4]
Brothers and sisters, I know that living life with Christ is a lot easier than living without Him. If you feel you are doing just fine on your own, I encourage you to not wait to be compelled but to allow Him to carry some of your burden, even if you feel you are strong enough to carry it alone. I encourage you to make a more conscious effort to receive revelation you need to live a more humble life. I am happy that I am now able to agree with my husband in his testimony: I, too, cannot make it in this world without the help of my Savior. And I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Ezra Taft Benson, “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989.
[2] Alma 32:16.
[3] Ezra Taft Benson, “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989.
[4] See Ezra Taft Benson, “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989.