12 Helps

 The year was 1974 and depression had hit a lot of sisters in the Church, in trying to find balance and be perfect in ever role, that encompasses an LDS woman's life.  Worst of all was putting on a happy face and hiding the pain and pretending that all was well in our little personal Zion. It was as if we feared the judgement of each other.  I could go on and on about this time period but I won't right now.

This was also the time when the Equal Rights Amendment was just coming into the forefront of our lives and confusion reigned in the minds of many.  


I'd flown up to Anchorage as I was responsible for a Woman's Conference and Sister Barbara Smith was coming to be our guest.  I got to stay at the Stake RSP house, had the opportunity to go to the airport and pick her up with the RSP, then got to share the basement with her,  and even got to, by choice, iron her clothes for the next day. We visited and she was so wonderful. 

I asked her what the greatest challenge was amongst women at that time.  She said (me paraphrasing) the aspect of expectation of perfection which resulted in lots of depression.  She said- goals are stepping stones and not sticks to beat ourselves with.  She also shared about feeling bad that the Church had to add Compassionate service lessons as some women in Utah were saying no to helping people out and gave a couple of examples.  So I guess it was elsewhere.  (I was happy when they took those lessons out as I felt things must be back on an even keel with most of us being true to our nature!)


Anyhow it was about this time that I was stunned when President Ezra Taft Benson gave a frank Conference talk about "despair, discouragement, depression, and despondency". He mentioned 12 things that would help defeat these problems. He was acknowledging that people sometimes struggle with these emotional issues and I'd never heard that before.  This was a time that things weren't talked about openly.  No one I knew took "tranquilizers" as we called them.  We'd never heard the word "anti-depressants".  It was not the era of Prozac, Zoloft etc. and what is common in today's Rx world.  Therapy was not common.  It was a relief to have a leader offer some solutions!


Today I shared a couple of my favorite scriptures with a friend and remembered that President Benson had been the one that led me me to these scriptures in this specific talk. 

"Sixth, reading. Many a man in his hour of trial has turned to the Book of Mormon and been enlightened, enlivened, and comforted.

The psalms in the Old Testament have a special food for the soul of one in distress. In our day we are blessed with the Doctrine and Covenants, modern revelation. The words of the prophets, particularly the living president of the Church, are crucial reading and can give direction and comfort in an hour when one is down."

I remembered reading the psalms and loving them.  today I shared...  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble  and  Be still and know that I am God...  and Call upon me in the day of trouble:  I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. 

I also really enjoyed re-reading today these two paragraphs.....

Yet, of all people, we as Latter-day Saints should be the most optimistic and the least pessimistic. For while we know that “peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion,” we are also assured that “the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst.” (D&C 1:35–36.)

With the assurance that the Church shall remain intact with God directing it through the troubled times ahead, it then becomes our individual responsibility to see that each of us remains faithful to the Church and its teachings. “He that remaineth steadfast and is not overcome, the same shall be saved.” (JS—M 1:11.) To help us from being overcome by the devil’s designs of despair, discouragement, depression, and despondency, the Lord has provided at least a dozen ways which, if followed, will lift our spirits and send us on our way rejoicing.

Some of you will recall in that great book Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan that the main character known as Christian was trying to press forward to gain entrance to the celestial city. He made it to his goal, but in order to do so, he had to overcome many obstacles, one of which was to escape from the Giant Despair. To lift our spirit and send us on our way rejoicing, the devil’s designs of despair, discouragement, depression, and despondency can be defeated in a dozen ways, namely: repentance, prayer, service, work, health, reading, blessings, fasting, friends, music, endurance, and goals.

May we use them all in the difficult days ahead so that we Christian pilgrims will have greater happiness here and go on to a fullness of joy in the highest realms of the celestial kingdom is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Do yourself a favor and read this, print it and tuck it away for reference.  an oldie but goodie!!!  Words from a Prophet!!!!

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1974/10/do-not-despair?lang=eng&query=ezra+taft+benson-+depression#