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No Doubt
Vickey Pahnke Taylor
I remember hearing a story about a little girl who carried her umbrella to an outdoor service where a group was gathering to end their fasting and prayer. The prayer was in request that they would be blessed with rain in their drought-inflicted area. No other participant took an umbrella to this event because, after all, they were in the middle of a drought! Near the end of that service the storm clouds rolled in and the waters began to drench the parched earth, shocking all those "believers" who came with doubts that the drought would end!
What an image is created in my mind as I think of this little girl standing under her umbrella, watching the rain drench the earth while everyone else ran for cover. This little one did not doubt. Her faith was sure.
How are we doing in the "no doubt" department? Elder Richard G. Scott, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught at October 1979 conference that "doubt is spiritual poison that stunts eternal growth."
If you sometimes feel as though you are experiencing a "drought," removing the doubt will help you grow through the present difficulty. By faithfully carrying your umbrella, so to speak, you are ready for the Lord's blessings. The "no doubt" concept will help you at school and in social situations as well as in your family. Your own confidence will grow as a result of greater confidence in the Lord's purposes, whether or not they may fit your will.
President Gordon B. Hinckley once said, "Great buildings were never constructed on uncertain foundations. Great causes were never brought to success by vacillating leaders. The gospel was never expounded to the convincing of others without certainty. Faith, which is of the very essence of personal conviction, has always been, and always must be, at the root of religious practice and endeavor." (Ensign, November 1981, p.6)
Whether your present time of drought is tiny or huge, start making things better by removing the doubt. When you pray, expect our Father to answer that prayer. Spend time in the scriptures. Go forward with faith. By faithfully doing your part, the Lord can do His part. You may make a great impact in your own little corner of the kingdom by patiently waiting for the Lord's will to be done. He wants and expects you to do good things. As you "go and do" your example will be noted by many around you (just as our faithful little girl with her umbrella!). The Lord will attend you – no doubt!
The full articles from which the Elder Scott and President Hinckley quotations come, "Happiness Now and Forever" and "Faith: The Essence of True Religion" respectively, can be read and printed free of charge from the gospel library section of the official LDS Church web page: [1]
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