Be Where You Are

Listen to “Be Where You Are,” a song by Hilary Weeks, and read about Hilary’s connection with Christ.

I wouldn’t consider myself a serious worrier. If someone is 20 minutes late, I don’t panic or freak out. If I make a mistake, I apologize and then try to let it go. When someone comes home with a sore throat, I don’t assume we are all going to end up with strep.

I mean, there are things I “worry” about. Like: Will there be plenty of Reese’s bits in the milkshake I just ordered? After running the dishwasher and washing machine, will there be enough hot water for me to take a bath? When I was growing up, I would worry if there was going to be milk so I could eat Cheerios in the morning.

You know, that kind of critical stuff.

Starting to Worry

Then I got married and had four daughters. The stakes got higher. Now I wasn’t just responsible for myself; I had a little clan to look after. Plus, I loved these people so much that at times my heart felt like it would burst. (But, since I’m not a worrier, I just figured that if my heart did indeed burst, I’d call our neighbor who works in the ER. No biggie.)

As my love grew for my husband and these beautiful daughters, I started to worry. Just a little here and there, at first. Then . . . a little bit more. If I heard news stories about scary, hard, sad things, I would worry that maybe those things would happen to us. Once in a while I’d worry so much it felt like I had already lived through something that never even happened! I played the whole fake thing out in my mind! (Ever done that?)

I needed to stop.

I couldn’t keep worrying about the future and what may or may not happen. The worry was eating at me and my thought process needed to change.

Hope in Christ

It was a connection with Christ that helped me. I remembered a line from a hymn: “I believe in Christ, so come what may.”

In my mind, the Savior is the epitome of joy. He is the definition of true and lasting happiness. He is peace. Yet He experienced shame, pain, death on the cross, hate, agony, loneliness. It occurred to me that the Savior could experience those horrible things, plus see all the hard, scary, lonely things that happen in the world right now, and He could still be the example of joy, hope, and peace.

In the April 2021 General Conference, Elder Gary L. Stevenson said, “When adversity and affliction are brought upon us . . . we can choose to hope in Christ.”

That’s what I needed to do! That is exactly what we can all do—hope in Christ! Regardless of our circumstances, we can trust Him, knowing He will light the dark tunnels of our trials and help us see the way. Once I began to trust the Savior, my worries melted away and I felt peace.

Remember the scripture: “Thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain” (2 Nephi 2:2).

Believing in Christ and trusting what He has in store for our future brings great peace. It helps us be present in each moment. It allows us to feel gratitude for every breathtaking, ordinary moment. Our present and future happiness hinge on our connection with Christ and our ability to allow Him to take the lead—guiding us toward our unimaginable future!