Be Calm

By Jeffrey R. Moss

Jeffrey R. Moss lives in Arizona, USA.

I learned an important lesson when I crashed my bike.

It was my second week in the mission field. I was fresh out of the missionary training center, ready and willing to face anything that came my way.

One night we rode our bikes along a slightly icy road and then came to some trolley tracks that were part of the road. My companion made it past them, but by the time he looked back to warn me, it was too late. My bike tire caught in the track, and I flew off my bicycle and slid about three feet.

I panicked. I knew I’d been hurt, so I checked my head, my arms, my knees—all were sore. Then I checked my face and discovered that some of my teeth had been knocked out. I sat on a cold, dark street wondering why this happened to me. What had I done wrong? Did the Lord not want me to serve? Questions and concerns raced through my mind as my companion sat by me and offered words of comfort. Nothing seemed to help.

I felt lost and alone, but suddenly an overwhelming sense of warmth and peace came over me, and the dark clouds of fear and hurt disappeared. I became calm. My personal relationship with the Savior grew as I felt His Atonement work on me. I realized that the Lord has taken upon Himself all of our pains and afflictions so that He can help us through them (see Alma 7:11–12).

Though sometimes we see our lives as a puzzle, Heavenly Father has a grand and wonderful plan for us. So often we see only the hundreds of little, dark, unclear pieces scattered about. However, when we put our faith in Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, piece by piece (or blessing by blessing or trial by trial), we will see the beautiful masterpiece God has made for our lives.

When adversity comes along, remember what the Savior was able to do with a storm-tossed ship: “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). If the Lord can calm a raging sea, then He can calm our fears. I know that the Savior is always there to comfort us.

Many good things came from my accident, and I learned that the Lord really does see the big picture. If we follow Him and seek to understand His plan for us, He will bless us through our trials.