I Can Do Hard Things...

There seems to be some popular statements that permeate everything these days... here are some examples: 

I can do hard things.
Just do it!
You can do it if you just try!
Listen to your inner voice.

(There are many more.) What is wrong with these statements? They're positive aren't they? They're powerful and encouraging aren't they? To this I would reply yes. However, they leave out a key component.

 Let's add it and see if it changes anything...

 I can do hard things...with Christ.
 Just do it...by the grace of Christ.
 You can do it if you just try...with the strength of Christ.
 Listen to your inner voice...with the grace of Christ.

 What changed? I added Christ to the equation.

 I find that in many situations we try to do things ourselves. I don't know if it's the stubbornness in me, the natural man, or the negative that tries to convince me that I can do it all on my own. Life is so much easier when I add Christ to my life and allow Him to help me carry the load.

Does that mean it is easy peasy? No. It means I have the strength to carry on for one more day and the courage to try harder and do better.

 Philippians 4:13
 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Alma 26:12
 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

Elder Bednar had some interesting things to say about being strong through the grace and atonement of Christ when he was first called to be an apostle back in 2004:

     ""In the Bible Dictionary we learn that the word grace frequently is used in the scriptures to connote a strengthening or enabling power:
     "The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and   love of Jesus Christ."
“… It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts” (p. 697).

Thus, the enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement helps us to see and to do and to become good in ways that we could never recognize or accomplish with our limited mortal capacity. I testify and witness that the enabling power of the Savior’s Atonement is real. Without that strengthening power of the Atonement, I could not stand before you this morning.""

Here is the link if you would like to read the entire talk

I hope I will always remember that if I have the humility to involve Christ in my life, I will be given the strength I need to deal with the trials and complexities of life.