Does the Journey Seem Long?

About a month ago the 182^nd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (of which I am a member) was held. This conference, which is held twice a year (in April and October), is a wonderful opportunity for members of my church to receive guidance, direction and inspiration from our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, and from many of our other leaders. The conference is held in the large Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. But its proceedings are broadcast across the world via Internet, satellite, radio, television and other communication technologies, allowing many to watch and listen from the comfort of their homes.

General Conference is an event that I look forward to and eagerly anticipate every April and October. I love the inspired and inspiring messages of guidance, comfort, counsel and direction given by wonderful leaders and teachers, particularly those messages given by the 15 men that make up the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of my church, humble servants of God who I hold and testify to be prophets, seers and revelators. The counsel and direction that they give help me to lead a better life and face the challenges and trials of my life with greater hope, courage and faith. Hearing their words of guidance and encouragement is like being given a renewed and clearer understanding of the constellations in the night sky that helps me to better chart and navigate the course of my life.

The wonderful guidance and direction I receive from the messages given by my church leaders in General Conference is certainly a source of wondrous light in my life. But those inspired messages are not what I wish to primarily focus on in this post, though they do tie into and help lay the groundwork for what I want to share. The messages of spoken word are not the only things that are presented in General Conference. There are also several wonderful and inspiring musical numbers, most of them performed by the magnificent Mormon Tabernacle Choir, one of the best choral groups in the entire world in my opinion (I’m a huge fan of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, if you can’t tell). Music can be such a profound and powerful force for good that moves and touches the soul in a way that the spoken word cannot. And the wondrous music performed at General Conference has profound power to touch and inspire souls. It has certainly touched and inspired me.

The piece of music that personally affected, touched and inspired me the most from the most recent general conference was a beautiful song entitled, "Does the Journey Seem Long?" This song was performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, with one of its members singing a solo part. I was not very powerfully affected by this song when I first heard it on the live broadcast of General Conference, but it sounded beautiful and I was intrigued by it as it is one of my church’s hymns that I am less familiar with. Adding to my interest in this song was the fact that President Boyd K. Packer, the speaker who spoke just before it was performed, concluded his message by quoting the lyrics of this hymn. Also, I was doing one of my four daily breathing treatments (my breathing treatments basically pulsate air into my lungs and deliver nebulized medication that helps keep my lungs more open and expanded), which are rather loud and noisy, when President Packer read the lyrics and the song was being sung, causing me to not hear the words and the song very well. This fact, coupled with my being intrigued and interested by this song, led me to later look up this hymn in my church’s hymn book.

And when I read the lyrics of "Does the Journey Seem Long?" and clearly comprehended them I was deeply touched and powerfully moved by their beauty and power. And I have gone back and watched the performance of this song several times since then (all of the music and messages from General Conference are archived and available to view online here). And the blend of these inspiring words with a wonderful and beautiful melody creates something wondrous and profound that touches my heart and stirs my soul. To me this song is a beautiful and powerful testament of the blessings of joy, peace and strength that flow into the lives of those who come unto Jesus Christ and accept the outstretched hand of redemption and help that He so graciously offers to each and every one of us. If we will just humbly reach out in faith and "take hold of his hand; He will lead [us] to heights that are new."

Here is a video of this wonderful and inspiring song (you can read the lyrics here; and I'd had some issues with the video, so if the video below does not work you can also find it here):

The journey of life can be very rugged and steep, filled with briars and thorns and sharp stones. In our efforts to successfully battle the challenges of our lives and find purpose, peace, meaning and joy amid the trials that confront us we may feel like we are struggling to climb the impossibly steep slopes of an imposing mountain in the scorching heat of the blazing afternoon sun. The rigors of such a journey can certainly cause our hearts to grow faint and sad and our souls to become weary. There have certainly been times in my life when I have felt this way as I have struggled and stumbled "to rise To the heights thru the heat of the day."

But this song proclaims the wondrously hopeful and encouraging truth that we do not have to climb the challenging path of life alone and unaided. The Savior and Redeemer of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, stands ready and willing to help us climb the mountain and to sustain, comfort, empower and strengthen us on the often difficult journey of life— and He will if we will turn to Him in faith and earnestly seek His help. This does not mean that the challenges and struggles of our lives will be taken away from us, but it does mean that we will be strengthened and fortified to keep pressing forward through the storms of life. It means that we will never be left alone without Someone who loves us and will help us. It means that we will always have a shoulder to lean upon when we are weak and afraid. It means there will always be Someone to lift us up when we fall. It means that there will always be Someone who can carry us when our strength is spent and we feel we cannot go on. And it means that after the battles of this life have been fought and we have passed on to the next stage of our eternal existence— after we have fought a good fight and have departed this life, we will eventually have rest from our troubles and sorrows; and we will be led to "A land holy and pure, Where all trouble doth end, And [our lives] shall be free from all sin, Where no tears shall be shed, For no sorrows remain."

During the challenging times of darkness and defeat in my own life the Savior has always been there for me. He has never given up on me even when I may have given up on myself. When I have fallen down and have sincerely and humbly reached out for His hand He has taken hold of my hand and lifted me up again. In times of fear He has comforted and reassured me. When I have made dumb mistakes He has been so willing to forgive me when I have earnestly sought His forgiveness. I have felt the healing touch of His hand numerous times in my life. More than once He has driven darkness and despair from my heart and brought light and joy in their place. I have felt the power of His redemption in my life and I testify from my own experience that His power to redeem and heal is real. Words are simply not adequate to express my great love for Him and my gratitude for all that He has done for me. His love, and the love of my Father in Heaven, who "so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16 in the Bible)— Their love is the greatest source of wondrous light in my life.

To any of you who toil and labor under any of the thousands of different challenges and struggles of life, I invite you to come unto Christ, the Holy One of Israel, and partake of His salvation and the power of His redemption (see Omni 1:26 in the Book of Mormon). Lay your burdens at His feet and take hold of His hand. His love for you is infinite and He is so incredibly willing to help you if you will turn to Him in faith. I bear my humble witness that great and wondrous blessings will flow into your life if you will come unto Him in faith and "take hold of his hand." I testify that "He will lead you to heights that are new." He has done that for me and He will do it for you. This is the invitation that He extends to you and to me and to everyone: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28 in the Bible).