Superpowers 101: Staying on the Ship

We had stake conference a few weeks ago. It was a broadcast from Salt Lake City. One of the speakers, Bishop Richard C. Edgley, told of going on a cruise with his wife. He said that some of the activities on the ship were not to their liking so they did not participate or left that area. "But," he said "we did not jump off the ship." He went on to explain that they knew where the ship was going and that they knew wonderful experiences awaited them there.

He compared this to the church. I thought of all the reasons people give for not going to church or not participating in church activities. Someone offended them. Someone was rude. Someone was disobedient. Someone was teaching something they disagreed with. Someone disagreed with them. They were told they had made a mistake and needed to repent. They didn't like the way someone did their calling. They didn't like the people in leadership positions. They didn't like the meeting time or location of the building. Maybe they were too busy with other activities. Maybe they didn't get the right kind of attention in the right situation. (I could go on but I will stop here.)

These can all be true. They may be real, hurtful, upsetting, even alarming experiences.

SO WHAT!!!

Does that mean the church isn't true? Does that mean the Book of Mormon is a fake? That Joseph Smith was a liar? Why not go all the way and deny that God even exists?!

Bad things happen. To everyone. No matter who they are or what church they go to. We are all meant to have trials in this life. We must not chuck the whole thing. We must stay on the ship, even if some of our shipmates are not making the best choices. The ship is sound. The captain in reliable. Enjoy the trip and prepare for the destination...and DON'T JUMP OFF!!!!