Our Daily Bread- The Red Headed Hostess

I used this story in Gospel Doctrine a few weeks ago, and I just keep thinking about it.

It is by Elder Christofferson, and I can’t tell you how applicable this quote has been in my life lately and I am so grateful I found it.

So I thought to share it with you. Some of you may need it now, and others may need it in the future.

Here you go:

Trust in the Lord—Solutions May Come over Time

Some time before I was called as a General Authority, I faced a personal economic challenge that persisted for several years. It did not come about as a consequence of anyone’s wrongdoing or ill will; it was just one of those things that sometimes come into our lives. It ebbed and flowed in seriousness and urgency, but it never went away completely. At times this challenge threatened the welfare of my family and me, and I thought we might be facing financial ruin. I prayed for some miraculous intervention to deliver us. Although I offered that prayer many times with great sincerity and earnest desire, the answer in the end was “No.” Finally I learned to pray as the Savior did: “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). I sought the Lord’s help with each tiny step along the way to a final resolution.

There were times when I had exhausted all my resources, when I had nowhere or no one to turn to at that moment, when there was simply no other human being I could call on to help meet the exigency before me. With no other recourse, more than once I fell down before my Heavenly Father begging in tears for His help. And He did help. Sometimes it was nothing more than a sense of peace, a feeling of assurance that things would work out. I might not see how or what the path would be, but He gave me to know that, directly or indirectly, He would open a way. Circumstances might change, a new and helpful idea might come to mind, some unanticipated income or other resource might appear at just the right time. Somehow there was a resolution.

Though I suffered then, as I look back now, I am grateful that there was not a quick solution to my problem. The fact that I was forced to turn to God for help almost daily over an extended period of years taught me truly how to pray and get answers to prayer and taught me in a very practical way to have faith in God. I came to know my Savior and my Heavenly Father in a way and to a degree that might not have happened otherwise or that might have taken me much longer to achieve. I learned that daily bread is a precious commodity. I learned that manna today can be as real as the physical manna of biblical history. I learned to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I learned to walk with Him day by day.

-Elder D. Todd Christofferson

CES Fireside, Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread, January 9, 2011

6 comments

  1. Thanks for posting this right now…currently talking to a teenager…voting in her first election, majorly disappointed. Trying to get her to see that God is in control, that things are not meant to be easy! This was posted at the perfect time~~
    he is there, he is real
    he loves you/his children…he is there to help
    we have to turn to him
    always

    Janice

  2. I first read this quote in March of this year. We have been experiencing a situation similar to what Elder Christofferson described here for over 5 years. It’s exhausting and yet it’s been a time of considerable spiritual growth. I’ve turned to this quote time and time again to gain comfort and strength to persevere thru our chalkenges. Thank you for posting it tonight. I needed to read it again.

  3. Thank you for sharing this! It is what I needed to hear today! I love our church and I am so thankful for the gospel in my life.

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