Spiritual Survival

[Sunday21]

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/joy-and-spiritual-survival?lang=eng

Does anyone have any ideas about how to teach this lesson in Relief Society? I was thinking about talking about how to remain cheerful and spiritually strong through trials.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1995/10/trust-in-the-lord?lang=eng

Elder Scott's talk above has some ideas on coping with trials.

I hate to just talk at people because that can be boring. Hmmm..I could cut up Elder Scott's talk and have buzz groups look at the individual pieces? Eg the part about 'Do what you can, take a break from your problems, try not to make your whole life about your problem (Talking to you Sunday!)

The Spiritual Survival talk asks 'how to survive when things are going badly' but it doesn't give any answers. The Elder Scott talk gives the answers. How to knit these two talks together? I could carve up the Scott talk and give it to members of the Relief society. If I give them pieces the week before, they will lose them. What are we like! We are the reason that mittens are made with that string attaching them together! So I could give them pieces of the Scott talk just before the lesson? I have done this before and the Relief Society president loves it! We all seem so smart!

The lesson on 'I will raise up a Seer' was today. Went great! Many thanks for all your suggestions! I gave 6 people a written request to talk about something that they were 'grateful to Joseph Smith for', the week before. All but 2 forgot! We are hard pressed here. Our leaders describe us as high needs! Despite this, it went fine. Sacrament talks were about Joseph Smith as was Sunday School, so we were well warmed up by the time we got to Relief Society. Everyone participated and including the people in the backrow. 

We had quite a few less active people visiting and they also participated happily. We are having a big push on reaching out to lessactives so perhaps this is working? I couldn't think of anything else to do so I just carved up the talk. I handed out the talk in strips and we went through it step by step. The people who write the teaching manuals make fun of this method but sometimes it works!

Edited January 22, 2017 by Sunday21

[zil]

27 minutes ago, Sunday21 said:

The Spiritual Survival talk asks 'how to survive when things are going badly' but it doesn't give any answers. The Elder Scott talk gives the answers.

I haven't read all of your post yet, but President Nelson does include the how - it's just not simple checklist items / physical behaviors.  It is spiritual, and that is the key to joy - it is a God-given gift which we must seek.  I recommend you go back - President Nelson even asks "how" and then answers it with the rest of the talk.

If I were preparing a lesson from this talk, I'd do what I do every time I prepare a lesson from a GC talk (which I do, every 4th Sunday): study the talk without looking for lesson material (but highlight and comment on things which seem key).  Go through the lesson again on a later day, and look for the overall outline of a lesson - what quotes would I pull from the lesson, what questions would I ask at what point, and would the quotes add to the answers of the sisters, or lead into the questions?  I would highlight and add questions throughout the talk.  Then, on a later date, I would go through it again, deciding whether to keep, change, or add to what I've already done.

When giving the lesson, I would decide what to keep, change, or add based on where the conversation was going, and what the Spirit directs in the moment.

NOTE: In my RS, the sisters are good at discussion, so this is all I need - a few good questions, a quote or two to help, and the sisters teach each other.

(Now I'm gonna read everything you wrote.  I may be back.)

[zil]

NOTE: It's important to separate the times you go through the talk (at least by hours, but days are better), so that your mind has time to ponder what you read before, to internalize it.

[Sunday21]

@zil Thanks so much ! Golden advice. I have a whole month so I can do this. Thanks again!

Edited January 23, 2017 by Sunday21

[Sunday21]

@zil Yes I see what you mean! I reread the talk and I see the answers to the question. Thanks!

[Sunday21]

I think what this talk is saying is:

1) the situation is going to get worse so likely we will suffer.

2) thus we need to survive this suffering by learning to be happy while suffering

3) to be happy while suffering we should

4) be glad that we chose to make and keep covenants

5) think of our future with God

6) enjoy the company of the Holy Ghost

Any other interpretations?

[zil]

Struggle is not the same as suffer.  Sure, some will experience suffering.  More will experience struggles.  Many of these struggles will be with the increasing differences between the teachings of the Church (which we have all covenanted to follow) and the ways of the world (which will get increasingly wicked).  Without a strong spiritual foundation, one will fall (or be miserable but determined to keep their covenants in spite of the misery - I've met such people).

Other struggles will be financial, familial, and personal.  Some will indeed involve suffering (such as physical or emotional pain).

Spiritual survival is resisting temptation and enduring to the end in righteousness - despite the struggle or suffering.  (How many people walked away over a policy matter?  How many people walk away over some offense?  How many people walk away when their life is either good enough that they don't feel the need, or bad enough that they give up?  How many people will walk away with the next policy change, or calling change, or offensive ward member?)

Joy comes not from convenience, comfort, or other external stimuli.  Joy is a choice.  It comes from knowing and living the truth, of your own free will, preferably in companionship with others who feel the same.  Joy in the midst of struggles comes from having the right perspective.  We can either focus on the 5-pound bag of sugar that just got dumped all over the kitchen floor, or we can focus on the innocence of a little child of God who didn't mean to do harm (and be grateful for brooms, vacuums, and running water, and washing machines and dryers).  We can focus on the unfairness of career set-backs, or we can look to the Savior for peace and guidance.  We can lash out with anger and hate when betrayed, or we can reach out in compassion and forgiveness (relying on the Savior's grace and mercy to strengthen us).  We can see this moment as all that matters, or we can remember eternity and all the hope therein.  We can bemoan our failures, or rejoice in Christ's success.  We can be miserable as we hide our sins and avoid our duty, or we can find joy in repentance and service.  We can envy the world its pleasures, or we can celebrate the eternal joy God offers us.  We can dwell on all the bad, or we can focus on all the good.

The simple fact is, that focusing on the eternal (with an understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ), brings the strength of the Atonement into one's life, so that one's perspective changes, and one is able to endure this life as "a small moment"; without that focus, every mortal setback is amplified (mountains out of molehills) and we are unhappy.

Joy "is a gift that comes from intentionally trying to live a righteous life, as taught by Jesus Christ."

That, and much more, is what I see in this talk.

[Sunday21]

@zil Thank you! So by focusing on Christ, we can see our troubles in proper perspective? We can remember that our troubles are but a small moment? I hope I am getting this. I feel handicapped by being a former atheist. I am unaccustomed to thinking in these terms. I think that having a background of entitlement and demanding one's rights makes it more difficult to understand this way of seeing things. It took me years to understand the concept of humility. It had never occurred to me that struggle was not suffering. 

[zil]

You're welcome.

42 minutes ago, Sunday21 said:

So by focusing on Christ, we can see our troubles in proper perspective? We can remember that our troubles are but a small moment? I hope I am getting this

Yes.  (Of course, "focus" means to pay attention, obey, rely on, etc.)

43 minutes ago, Sunday21 said:

I feel handicapped by being a former atheist. I am unaccustomed to thinking in these terms. I think that having a background of entitlement and demanding one's rights makes it more difficult to understand this way of seeing things. It took me years to understand the concept of humility

This is a useful explanation.  Agency, and the way of the Gospel, teaches us the opposite of entitlement and demanding stuff.  The more I learn, the more certain I am that if you want to understand the Lord's way, you have to turn your brain upside down (compared to the world's way): to be great, serve; kindness is more powerful than any power the world has to offer; humility is strength; etc.  I'll let the back of my brain work on this, and if I can come up with something that seems like it might help translate from my context to yours, I'll reply again.  (Feel free to ask more questions, if you wish.)

45 minutes ago, Sunday21 said:

It had never occurred to me that struggle was not suffering. 

I suppose it depends on your definition of these words, but, for example, to learn a new skill is a struggle, but that's not, in my opinion, suffering.  Having difficulty with a commandment is a struggle, but it may not necessarily seem like suffering.  Sometimes they go together, sometimes not.

[Sunday21]

@zil Thonks so much! I had really felt like throwing in the towel on this lesson as I just could not understand the lesson. We tend to fire RS teachers here quite easily so I am anxious not to step out of line. I think I am starting to get an idea of the lesson's point of view. Thanks so much!

[zil]

1 minute ago, Sunday21 said:

We tend to fire RS teachers here quite easily so I am anxious not to step out of line.

I recommend you stop worrying about that and just ask the Lord what the sisters who will attend your lesson need to hear.  He'll tell you, and the more familiar you are with the talk, the easier it will be for you to receive the answer.

[Sunday21]

@zil I would never have thought of that! A different interpretation for different audiences! Thanks!