RS Lesson - There Was Bread by Bishop W. Christopher Wadell
Perspective by Cynthia Stevenson, North Relief Society
When the pandemic hit last year, I was fortunate to say, of my home, that there was bread (and a little toilet paper--however, I didn’t think of preparing in that way).
It all started with one simple act of faith…many years ago:
The purchase of the starter kit (which they may or may not sell anymore).
Over the I have come to know for myself that "True faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ and always leads to action.” and "gradual buildup of food storage and savings over time, as well as embracing “small and simple” means, which is a demonstration of faith that the Lord will magnify our small but consistent efforts…and finally “believing that through the grace, or enabling power, of Jesus Christ and our own effort, we are able to obtain all the spiritual and temporal necessities of life we require for ourselves and our families.”
In the talk by Bishop Christopher Waddell, he speaks of calamities and offers the promise that "the Lord’s guidance will provide protection and support to the extent that we heed and act upon His counsel."
This counsel to be prepared is a spiritual commandment, "understand that all things are spiritual to the Lord, “and not at any time” has He given us “a law which was temporal.” Everything, then, points to Jesus Christ as the foundation upon which we must build even our temporal preparedness."
As he mentioned the importance of building a reserve, though to do so in wisdom and order, not running faster than we have strength. To quote him "In today’s environment, with a pandemic that has devastated whole economies as well as individual lives, it would be inconsistent with a compassionate Savior to ignore the reality that many are struggling and ask them to begin building a reserve of food and money for the future. However, that does not mean that we should permanently ignore principles of preparation—only that these principles should be applied “in wisdom and order” so that in the future we might say, as did Joseph in Egypt, “There was bread."
The Lord does not expect us to do more than we can do, but He does expect us to do what we can do, when we can do it. As President Nelson reminded us in our last general conference, “The Lord loves effort.”
We do this one small and simple step at a time. In Alma 37:34, Alma says to his son, Helaman "Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls."
This leads to an important question: “Therefore, what?”
It's important to remember the resources that exist. Personal Finances for Self-Reliance is on the Church website and it begins with a message from the first presidency, “The Lord has declared, It is my purpose to provide for my saints”...We invite you to diligently study and apply these principles.” When we qualify to receive temporal blessing, those blessings give us the power and ability to help and serve others more fully. This resource includes chapters devoted to creating and living within a budget, protecting ourselves and family from hardship, investing for the future, managing a financial crisis, etc., and it’s available to everyone on the Church website or through local leaders and is available in 36 languages. “He knows you and is ready to extend to you the spiritual and temporal blessings of self-reliance.” If we exercise our faith to take a small step to prepare in whatever capacity we are called upon to do through the Spirit, we can be certain that the Lord will be there for us. His love is there for us. Truly President Nelson spoke right that in the coming days we will not be able to survive without the continuing flow of personal revelation. And to close with Bishop Waddell’s words, “as we seek to become temporally prepared, we can face the trials of life with increased confidence, peace in our hearts, and like Joseph in Egypt, we will be able to say, even in stressful circumstances, “There was bread.” In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
