Episode 56: Why Trying to Prevent Problems May be Hurting You

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Prevention is a distraction that keeps you from learning the skills you need to prepare.

 We are not meant to prevent all trials and hardships.  We came to Earth to live in a fallen world where we are suppose to experience hard things. Elder Merideth taught, “People incorrectly believe, that all hardship and suffering in life are the result of sin." The Savior taught this as well. In the scriptures we read of a man who was born blind and when asked why Jesus responded,

"Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him."  John 9:3

 We know that trials and tribulations are inevitable. Some more difficult to face than others. But either way, we cannot live with a prevention attitude. We cannot prevent everything unwanted from happening to us. 

If we go about trying to prevent the inevitable from happening we will eventually feel even more pain, stress, disappointment, fear, failure and as though we are not good enough.

It’s not about just sitting aside and accepting that bad things will happen and doing nothing. We must have an attitude of preparedness. It’s about fortifying ourselves for the future. Preparing ourselves mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for those times to happen and knowing what we will do.

For example, the internet has so many harmful things on it for us and our families. Pornography, unrealistic expectations of our bodies and a broad spectrum of harmful messages. 

A prevention attitude would say that you need to make sure you never experience any of those things. Try to make sure that never happens. So you might try to lock down your devices and prevent those things from coming in, put apps on your computers/devices, limit time or make people use them only in public places. 

Which is absolutely helpful. However, the problem with that logic is it’s not a matter of IF you encounter those things but WHEN. But if you think you can completely prevent it all then when they do come through you are going to feel like you failed, stressed and fearful of what that now means for you and your family.

A preparation attitude would have you understanding that these things will come through despite your preventive measure, so what do you want to do? You don’t just sit aside and wait for them to come through but you do prepare for it.  You prepare yourself and your family mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the WHEN.

 Preparing is about understanding that you can do everything you possibly can and things will still not work out the way you want them to. That is what the Savior is for. The Savior IS the contingency plan.

Our Heavenly Parents knew when they created the plan of salvation that there is no possible way we would be able to live in a fallen world with fallen mortal bodies and be able to sustain a perfect track record. So the Savior was presented as an integral piece of the plan during the council in heaven.

Not for IF we needed Him, but WHEN we needed Him

Satan’s rebellion to the plan was to make sure everyone acted perfectly and without mistake. This rebellion was rejected for a reason. There is need for us to experience a fallen world and in doing so we are able to choose to follow Him.

A prevention attitude follows the rebellion plan where we are trying to prevent a part of the plan of salvation from happening. A preparation attitude is following God’s plan of knowing there will be difficult experiences and preparing for it by knowing HOW to rely on the Savior. Let me share with you 3 things you can learn now that will prepare you for such times in your life. 

Learn to Experience the Negative, With Christ

You are going to feel negative emotions throughout the process of living in this world. You are not meant to prevent yourself from feeling negative emotions. You are meant to learn to feel them so you can heal from them, with Christ.

That can be hard process but waiting to learn how to do that until the point when you need that skill is like training for a marathon on race day. You won't be able to continue moving forward and the negative emotions will exhaust and overcome you.

If you learn to accept negative emotions and turn to the Savior in those moments you will be equipped to the handle those that inevitably accompany difficult situations. Your ability to see clearly, feel hopeful, and maintain your faith in God's plan will be strengthened.   

Learning to Bear Your Burdens Yoked to Christ

A yoke offers two oxen the ability to pull more than each individual oxen could do on their own. When oxen are properly yoked together there is more power and balance thus allowing them to pull more weight, further.

When we are in a yoke with Christ we can do more, heal more, handle MORE and feel more balanced in life's difficulties. Please keep in mind that learning to yoke with Christ is not learning to turn things over to Christ and letting Him take care of it. It is about learning to do things together. Preparation is about learning now HOW to yoke to Christ.

We do not have to ever suffer alone. The Savior offers us the opportunity to be yoked with Him and use His power to help us move forward in our lives. Elder Perkins taught,

“I fear that too many Church members think if they are just a little tougher, they can get through any suffering on their own. This is a hard way to live. Your temporary moment of strength can never compare to the Savior’s infinite supply of power to fortify your soul.”

Learn to Hear Him Daily

God knows the end from the beginning. When you are in the middle of something hard, wouldn’t you want to know the exact strategies that will make the most difference for the energy you put into them? You can. Simply learn to receive that information from a source that knows how it all turns out.

Learning how to Hear Him allows you to HEAR the information. If you don’t prepare now and learn HOW to Hear Him on a daily basis you won’t be able to just pull that skill out of nowhere. Elder Meredith said,

“Focusing on Christ can simplify our decisions and provide a guide for how we can best spend our time and resources.”

Learning to hear Him will save you time and energy in the end. Preparation is about doing the work now for WHEN you will need the help. I can tell you that my spiritual preparation has made all the difference in my therapy practice. Learning all three of those skills has helped me help others by be prepared to teach those skills to those who I work with. Preparation takes WORK! 

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. The adversary seems determined to get good people to do nothing, or at least to waste their time on things that will distract them from their lofty purposes and goals. The adversary understands that distractions do not have to be bad or immoral to be effective.”

-Elder Meredith

Prevention is one of those distractions that keeps you from learning the skills you need to prepare. If you want these practical skills of how to prepare rather than prevent, my Spiritual Survival Course will teach you that. It prepares you as you learn simple tools to Hear Him, strategies for building a relationship with God and proven skills on how to have consistent spiritual habits daily that offer you opportunities to hear the Savior in your daily life.

Right now I am offering a discount on my Spiritual Survival Course. Simply use the code PREPARE at checkout for 50% off!