Endure and Trust in God

Life is full of turbulence and spoiler alert, we signed up for it. This week Cydni and Sher talk about what it really means to endure to the end, why giving up is a bigger deal than we think, and why God sees the big picture even when we absolutely cannot. The duty is ours. The results are God's. Buckle up. This week's episode is "Endure and Trust in God"and we are so glad you are here!

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Show Notes

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Transcript

Episode 167 - Endure and Trust in God

Cydni: [00:00:00] I just landed in Arizona last week on an airplane to visit my newest little nephew, Ollie. He's adorable, and I love him, and I miss him, and I'm having withdrawals since I've been home, but that's not what I wanted to say.

When you land in Arizona and there's heat, the turbulence is actually out of control. It is terrifying. Luckily, about four times ago, they warned us, over the announcement they said, "It's going to be a bumpy, bumpy ride. You're going to be okay." But they've only warned me once out of all of the times, but this last time I knew it was coming because we were warned.

And I just sat there, and I was doing what I was doing, probably playing, like, a block game and getting the highest score ever. But I didn't feel scared at all, because previously I had been warned it was going to happen, and it happens every time. And then there was a girl next to me who was about to freak out because it was going on so long, and I was like, "It's gonna be okay.

This happens all the time." And then I thought, you know what? We are so blessed to be part of a gospel that teaches us, [00:01:00] hey, guys, this is going to be hard. This is gonna be a bumpy ride, and you can endure it. It's going to be fine. We know and we signed up to come here and have a bumpy ride, and it is our duty to tell other people it's going to be okay. And also, don't forget, you put your mask on first before you help others. 

Cydni: welcome to the Cydni and Sher Podcast. 

Sher: Cydni, I can't believe that. That was a really good intro. Like, it was on topic. It was amazing. 

Cydni: Thanks. I was actually gonna use it in a talk I gave on Sunday. And then I forgot to use it. And I was like, "Well, I just thought that all out. where will I use it?" And I was like, "Oh, the podcast intro. Sher will be so proud of me for actually preparing." 

Sher: And it was on topic, 'cause today we're gonna talk about enduring to the end, and you, nailed it. 

Cydni: Right? 'Cause life is full of turbulence. It really is. Which is terrifying. It used to not scare me, but oh my gosh, it's terrifying. It is terrifying. I agree. We once took Blaine, [00:02:00] as we've talked about Anna so many times, Anna Banana Manna Anna the saint her son Blaine, he went with us to Arizona once on the most turbulent ride, and it was his first airplane ride.

He looked at me and he was like, "Cyd, is this normal?" And I was like, "Yeah. It's totally fine" I lied to his face because I also was terrified. There's water bottles flying and things going everywhere. Oh my gosh. I was like, "Yes, it's totally fine." So if he never goes on another airplane ride, I think it was because of that.

Sher: Well, now he knows the truth too, because Anna will probably tell him. She won't. She's a saint. Okay.

I think it's a really good timing that this week is Endure to the End, because as a public school teacher, the only way I can describe it, it's like instead of a frog in the boiling pot, it's a teacher in the boiling pot. And every week starting in January, the heat gets turned up just a little bit more and a little bit more and a little bit more.

And then when it gets to [00:03:00] May, you're almost ready to be boiled alive, Cydni. And then all of a sudden it just turns off, and then you can just freely jump out and it's all done. But until that bell rings the last day of school, there's no word to describe the misery So teachers out there, you can do it. Endure to the end. 

Cydni: I mean, I know I'm not a teacher, but as a parent, I appreciate the reminder that it will get better because I feel like we have been drowning for the last 30 days. Well, 

Sher: it's because, I've heard people saying they're calling it May-cember, and it really fits it because all of a sudden everyone's trying to shove everything they've missed for the entire school year into May. Why are we doing this, people? Why? 

Cydni: And then we have all the ceremonies. We have tryouts. We have every possible thing that would be on a family to-do list going on as well. 

Sher: Right. But we can do it 'cause we are enduring to the end. We're ready for the turbulence, our seat belts are on, and we're ready to go.

And we're going down to the ground. Safely. Phew. No- Oh ... [00:04:00] safely. Yay. 

Cydni: Yeah. There 

Sher: you go. So this last month or so, we have been talking about the Spartans. And the Spartans, they were warriors, . Starting at the age of seven, the boys started their training to learn how to be warriors and to be fighters.

So when the Persians attacked Thermopylae, the Spartans were ready. depending on what you read, 100,000 to maybe a couple million Persians attacking the Spartans there were 300 of them, plus they had some friends so it got their number up to 7,300. But then their friends left.

So it was 300 against all these Persians. And they found a spot that they felt they could hold the ground against the Persians, and this area was only 50 feet wide, and they held that pass for over three days. 300 versus, I don't know, like, a million Persians. Like, 12.7. Million.

Or billion. One of the two. they held that pass, and the Persians told them that they were gonna shoot so [00:05:00] many arrows at the Spartans, they were gonna block out the sun.

the Spartans responded That sounded great to them because now they could fight in the shade. And so they reframed their situation and they just went for it. Now, the Spartans didn't hold that pass forever. They held that pass for three days and unfortunately it didn't end well for the Spartans. They all ended up getting killed. But they did, give time for Greece to get their crap together so that they could go on to save their civilization. And we are expected to do the same.

We don't need to hold the pass forever, but we do need to hold it long enough for God's will to be accomplished. So like the Spartans, we don't know what the end result is going to be, but the Spartans did understand their duty and One of my favorite quotes, along with Cydni's, it- I've adopted it from you.

Thank you. Feel free. You're welcome. Thank you. Is John Quincy Adams' quote that says, "The duty is ours; the results are God's." Now, remember John Quincy Adams, he was an [00:06:00] abolitionist, and he unfortunately did not live long enough to witness the slaves being free. But he was alive long enough to meet and mentor Abraham Lincoln.

So we don't know the impact of our faithfulness. Just like John Quincy Adams during his lifetime, he had no idea the impact of his faithfulness and the impact it would go on to have on Abraham Lincoln.

But here's the thing, God knows the impact of it. Nothing surprises God. He's not shocked by this messy world, and He's not shocked when things don't turn out the way you had hoped. I'm sure John Quincy Adams, when he went to his grave, thought that his life was pointless because he really wanted to abolish slavery in his life, and it didn't happen.

But God, through him, through John Quincy Adams, was able to make that happen. He sees the big picture. We don't. 

Cydni: I've read that quote so many times, but today was the first time I thought I feel like it's nice the results are God's, but kind of in my heart I [00:07:00] just wish it said, " The duty is God's, and the results are God's." And I could just be here for the ride. 

Sher: That would be a lot nicer. I like that. But unfortunately for us, God wants us to learn and grow and become better humans, so He's gonna have us work for it.

Cydni: And there's nothing we could do to surprise Him with our messiness, is what you're saying. 

Sher: No. He's God. 

Cydni: You know what it makes me think of? The woman at the well, because she has five husbands, and I would never judge someone who did, but maybe Sher would. And I wanna know.

Not true. But I bet that she felt like her life got pretty messy and went a different way. And Christ There's nothing in her life that surprises Him or throws Him off. And, I think that's kind of reassuring to know that He understands how messy our lives are. And He's still like, "Hey, let me offer you some living water. It's gonna be okay." 

Sher: And look at the job that she had, that God gave her. I mean, she got to tell everyone about the [00:08:00] Messiah was here on Earth. What an incredible job she had. How on Earth would she ever think that she was gonna be called to do that? 

Cydni: I don't think she was. But I do think she did the things she needed to do because she knows the prophecies, and she knew about the prophets, and she knew what well that was. It wasn't just a well. And along her life of chaos and things not going the way she wanted. it proves in the scripture she was studying and aware of the traditions, so- she was still prepared in the chaotic life because she understood what he was talking about, . And because of everything she learned, even on her bumpy, turbulent ride, she could recognize that He was the Savior, and then she was able, and capable, and ready to go tell others. I think that's awesome about her. 

Sher: I do, too. And when our life gets messy, oftentimes that's when we understand redemption and the atonement the best, is when we have that chaotic ride in our lives. that's when we can feel that [00:09:00] process in our heart, and where God gets the opportunity to help us grow, and where we are humble enough to listen to it.

So last week, we talked about keeping our covenants and being part of God's kingdom. being part of His kingdom does require responsibilities, but in return we're also given rights or blessings from God. In Matthew 24:13, it says, " he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."

So we have the responsibility to endure to the end. And if we do that, God promises, or our right is, He will save us. So what does it mean to be saved, was my question. President Nelson explained to us, "To be saved or to gain salvation means to be saved from physical and spiritual death.

Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, all people will be resurrected and saved from physical death. People may also be saved from individual spiritual death through the [00:10:00] atonement of Jesus Christ by their faith in Him, by living in obedience to the laws and ordinances of His gospel, and by serving Him."

So what I learned from this is we are saved through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from a physical death. We all will rise again. But if we want to be saved from a spiritual death, we need to show our faith in Jesus and the faith in His atonement, we need to be obedient to our covenants, to the laws and the ordinance of the gospel, and we need to serve our Savior.

So by enduring to the end with faith and obedience, we have been promised that we will be saved from physical and spiritual death. That's a pretty cool promise. 

Cydni: It reminds me of the series on YouTube, the Stand Forever series. in it Elder Corbridge talks about that the great problem, the great issue, the great tragedy of our life here on earth is that we are separated from God. And when you are separated from God, you [00:11:00] are surrounded by chaos and darkness and death.

But it is through our Savior that He will bridge the gap, and He will bring light, and He'll bring peace, and He has brought the resurrection. And so I love this idea that jesus Christ is the bridge that fills that gap for us, and that has helped me so much to understand how to be saved because of Jesus Christ.

Your question was about how to be saved, and I was wondering, why do we even want to endure? What do we gain from enduring? Because what if we didn't endure?

What if we just sat there and sat there not enduring? How bad would that be? That was my question, is what do we gain from enduring? And I found some scriptures. So in James 1, it says, "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, "he will receive the crown in life which God has [00:12:00] promised to those who love Him." And then in Galatians 6 it says, "And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap." But it adds this part, "If we faint not." And I thought that was so funny.

It's like, you guys, if we don't die, you could do this. Yeah. I just felt like it was a very real one. And I also thought in Hebrews it was funny 'cause it says, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous." And I like that a lot.

Me too. Thanks for those real words. He's basically saying, " Nobody wants to do this. Nobody wants to hurt, and it's not fun." But then he says, " nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness." And I was just reminded how blessed are we to have peace, not as the world giveth, but as God gives in times of tribulation, in times of sorrow, 'cause if you need to endure, that means things are not going well. And we are promised peace as we strive to endure during times that [00:13:00] make zero sense to feel peace. That's a huge blessing, and I appreciate that. 

Sher: And it seems impossible that actually happens, but I think both of us have felt that at different times in our life when we've gone through trials and different things in our lives where we've felt like we are just barely hanging on, for some reason there is a peace and a comfort in your heart.

Cydni: And just to answer the other question I had I did wonder, what if we don't endure?

What if we sit there not enduring? And I did listen to a Neal A. Maxwell talk, and he said this about not enduring. He said, "Giving up is the denial of the Lord's loving capacity to see us through these things. Giving up suggests that God is less than He really is. It is a denial of His divine attributes and also a denial of our own possibilities." So don't give up, Sher. 

Sher: that quote is a gut punch, Cydni. 

Cydni: I know. I feel like Elder Maxwell, he serves up gut punches. 

Sher: does, 'cause I would like to just be a b- Piece of toast just [00:14:00] sitting there. Right? 

Cydni: I don't need no jam. I don't need no butter. I just wanna sit there as a piece of toast. 

Sher: Right. Is that too much to ask? I think we didn't sign up for that. And that's why it was a gut punch. We can't just be a piece of toast. 

Cydni: I feel like in the pre-existence I was just having a really good day, like maybe the caffeine really hit, and I was like, "Sign me up for that one." Like the other day I had to give a talk in a different ward, and the guy didn't tell me what the subject was yet. So then I text him and I was like, "Hey, I'm feeling great today.

I'll come up with my own topic. Don't even worry about it." Well, guess who spent the next two weeks not knowing what topic to talk about? Me. I could have just let him tell me what to do, and then I could have got to it. No, I was just feeling really great one day, and I overdid it, and then I put myself in a state of chaos.

And I feel something in me, a little inkling, feels like I did that in the pre-existence too. Where I was like, "I'm feeling good today. too. I wanna be a burnt piece of toast. Not like just happy, but all of it." And I'm [00:15:00] toast. 

Sher: So God doesn't want us just to be a piece of toast or a burnt piece of toast for that matter, but God also knows that this is gonna be really hard. And so God has given us a wonderful, beautiful gift, and that is the gift of the Holy Ghost to help us.

President Nelson said, "In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost." so having the influence of the Holy Ghost is a super key component in enduring to the end. In Preach My Gospel, it says, "enduring includes continuing to exercise faith in Christ each day. We continue to keep our covenants with God, repent, seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and partake of the sacrament."

This is what we're talking about right here, Cydni, God doesn't want us just to sit there and do nothing. He always, like my dad, wants to give you a [00:16:00] job. our job is to exercise, keep, repent, seek, and partake. And these are key words in enduring to the end. And we also learned in that, that if we want the companionship of the Holy Ghost, we need to seek him.

God has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost, but we can only receive that gift if we choose to open it, if we choose to seek after it. And Cydni, I have really been trying lately, because I feel like the world is so insane, that in my prayers, I am praying every single day that I will have the gift of the Holy Ghost with me I don't wanna be left on the sidelines or in the wrong spot, because you can read different, like news articles, and I swear they're opposite.

It's always opposite day. And so you don't really know for sure. You can't just read the news and say, "This is the truth." It's like you have to decipher it. And I pray that as I'm going through things of this world [00:17:00] or things in my own personal life, that I will have the Holy Ghost with me so that I can get through all the nonsense and silliness and actually understand the truth, because there is a truth, but we need that spirit with us so that we can get to it.

Cydni: I love what you did there because it's so many of the basics that we talked about, and I was curious with just different sports that required endurance, what tips they suggested for how to endure, let's say, like running to me, which is, I feel like that would be difficult, running anywhere.

Sher: Mine's just moving. 

Cydni: Getting up to the refrigerator. Right. How do I endure- ... not using DoorDash 

Sher: How quickly can I get to the fridge to get my Diet Coke in the morning? 

Cydni: Right, all of those endurance sports- Mm-hmm, yeah, yeah ... that you and I are familiar with. But I, went outside of our own endurance capacity.

Like real endurance. And it was so interesting because in every single high-endurance sport I looked up, the [00:18:00] top things were always the same. And I love this because it said to get seven to nine hours of sleep. So I was like, "I am doing that. I'm doing step one." And lately I've wanted to, really push that and do nine to 12 hours of sleep because I'm a go-getter- and I just really wanna endure. And so I just wanna sleep more to be, like, extra athletic. And the- 

Sher: The irony of this is I don't think you ever sleep. I do. You do?

Cydni: I like to sleep. I just get up so early. You sleep, but you don't sleep that long. I need to sleep more if I'm gonna be an athlete. I do love sleep ... so what I'm 

Sher: saying is you love sleep, you do sleep, but you don't sleep very long. 

Cydni: I don't make it to the seven hours. Exactly. I'm failing that too. The next one's, like, to eat healthy. Make sure the choices that you're making are good nutrients. And I thought, "Okay, so not check one, not check two." So maybe a different podcast on endurance would be better- ... for you to be listening to. But you're at the end. You might as well endure. You as well keep [00:19:00] listening, endure this.

But truly, all the tips for how to build a healthy body to endure difficult sports they had the same basics. They were all the same. And I thought that was really interesting. And they also talked about starting small, and then you build it. And I feel God has time and time again taught us line upon line, given us a little bit, let us figure it out how to handle that, given us a little more, and it continues 

Sher: I was just thinking, do you remember just not too long ago when I couldn't even walk, a block, and Cydni was one of the people that was dragging me along by my hair trying to get me to walk? And, today we just went for a walk before we started this and it wasn't a big deal.

We just walked. But a few years ago, that wouldn't have happened. So it's true, if you just hang in there and you just keep going, you will, line upon line, you'll get better, and your endurance will get better. But we need to turn to the basics of the gospel to let that happen, and make sure that we're doing those things like exercise our faith, keep our covenants, repent and [00:20:00] seek after the Holy Ghost. These things are important that we try to remember to do these things daily so that our spiritual muscles keep growing and growing. 

Cydni: And don't forget hydrate with the living water. And I was thinking when you have the Holy Ghost with you, the Holy Ghost will remind us of these truths and will remind us and bring to our remembrance that God has always shown up.

He has been faithful to us. He has stayed by us. He has delivered us time and time again. And I thought of Moses, that he had seen God face-to-face, and then Satan came, called him a son of man, and Moses was so grounded, and he did have the Spirit of God with him, that he was able to say, "I can judge thee from God.

I know that you are not the same." that's what we have to be able to do with what you're seeing, with the things that we're seeing online, and what we're reading, what people are telling us. We have to have the Spirit with us so that we can judge, and properly [00:21:00] judge. And we will be able to do this because of the basics of the gospel if we do them sincerely.

And when you look up what the biblical meaning of endure means, it's remaining firm under pressure, to bear up under, to stand firm amid persecutions, trials, and suffering without yielding to the compromising of one's beliefs. And it also says it's an act of trust and hope.

And so if we remember who we are, our divine nature, and who we are, Gods, then it will help us to be able to endure these times that don't make any sense, because we all will have moments that don't make any sense. we've seen that in the scriptures where Nephi says, "I don't know all things, but I know that God loves me."

And sometimes, as Neal A. Maxwell says, "Sometimes it has to be enough that you don't know what's going on, but you know that God loves you." And sometimes- We will be saved in the way we want, like the three men and [00:22:00] Daniel who won't bow down to idols, and they're put in the furnace, and they're saved. They're saved.

It looks like there's a fourth person in there, and the guards say he appears to be like the son of God. He's in the fire with them. But there's also three young women and Abraham who also will not bow down to an idol, and those girls do die. They die by fire. It doesn't mean God wasn't in the fire with them, but they weren't saved in the way they probably hoped.

And just like the story of the Spartans, they were not saved in the way they hoped. And we have to have such rooted faith that we can have the, "But if not, it doesn't matter. Can God save me? He can. "But if not, I'm not going to change my personal belief. I'm going to stay firm in this, and I will endure."

And we have to also remember this line, also from Neal A. Maxwell. That talk he gives on enduring is amazing. But he says that we don't just survive, but we need to [00:23:00] survive with our integrity intact. I looked up different ways that you can be better at enduring, and one of them said to seek out difficult challenges.

It was so funny. It said like holding your breath for an excessively long time, and I thought that could be our challenge. We could challenge people to hold their breath for an excessively long time to improve their endurance. That sounds like a terrible idea. Honestly, seeking something to make your life more miserable sounds like a terrible idea.

Well, I also found the use of the word reframe. Remember we just talked about that? Absolutely. And it said that to be able to endure difficult times better, reframe the situation. Look at it- in a different way.

You could have an eternal perspective, that there's something to be gained in the difficult situation that you're going through. Are arrows gonna fly at you, and it's gonna darken the sun, and you're gonna have to endure that? Probably not. But will you possibly have to endure illness that doesn't seem to [00:24:00] heal, heartaches, disappointments, and just maybe prayers that just don't seem like they're being answered?

Yes, we will have those to endure. And one way I loved so much that was suggested is to have a heart full of gratitude, if you could wake up in the most difficult trials and find things that you are grateful for, that will give you that little boost that you could keep going, that little runner's high they talk about, but for life, the endurance of life. And so we challenge you to be more grateful right now, no matter your circumstance. 

Sher: This brings us to our final thoughts. The Spartans didn't hold the pass forever. They held it long enough. That's all God is asking of us. To do that, let's exercise our faith, keep our promises to God, repent when we fall short, seek the Holy Ghost, and partake of the sacrament. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we will be led to our individual path God wants us to hold, and [00:25:00] someday we will be able to see why our part mattered. This is our prayer- 

Cydni: From Cydni and Sher 

Sher: Is that stupid? 

Cydni: Like the whole thing? Probably. No. Please fly with us soon, again.

Is that what they say? Fly with us again or else. I don't think they say that. I lost it. I lost track. Welcome to the Cydni and Sher... Nope. 

Sher: And the Spur- the... The Persians. The Persians. The why did you look at me weird? Do 

Cydni: you hear... maybe it's just a truck that's bumping music or an earthquake and we're gonna die. Do you hear it? 

Sher: I think the speakers maybe. Yeah. I don't know. That was weird. 

Cydni: What if the world's, like, exploding outside and we're in here talking about the Spartans? Just doing a podcast. My kids are all texting [00:26:00] me, "Mom" Like, "So the Spar- And there was like 12 million of them.

Sher: that probably would happen. I think we're okay, 'cause Rudy's not- Oh, yeah ... crying or hiding. And there's, like, no birds flying 

Cydni: in here. That would happen. Yeah. I've seen the movies. Really? The birds fly. Birds flying in? Okay. The rodents would be crawling everywhere. Yeah, I think we're good then. All right, we'll continue. Okay. We'll endure this podcast. You have to endure editing 

Sher: a lot, you know? I do, I know. It's gonna be terrible. 

Cydni: Glory and tribulation also..." I can't read. I don't even know why I'm here right now. . " As I've learned from near-death experiences that if you... Just kidding, I'm sorry. I was hoping you were gonna say something really snarky.

Sher: , You just got a dirty look. Thanks for joining us. 

Cydni: We're so glad you're here.