Jennifer Paustenbaugh, of BYU’s Harold B. Lee Library, shared personal experiences and insight to teach that, like Nephi from The Book of Mormon, people break their bows sometime in their lives.
“Like Nephi, each one of us is likely to experience the breaking of a bow — a major life challenge that has all the makings of a personal or family disaster,” Paustenbaugh said.
She also shared several principles that one may learn from Nephi’s experience and how people can overcome their own broken bows. The first principle she mentioned was the importance of prayer when looking for answers and direction.
“When prayer is a consistent part of our daily lives and we have learned to listen for and to answers to our prayers, we develop confidence in that process,” Paustenbaugh said.
She also explained that action is necessary when people are faced with trials.
“Once Nephi had communed with Father in Heaven in a humble, pleading prayer and spent time listening to his answer, Nephi had to get up off his knees and act,” Paustenbaugh said.
Several personal experiences and examples in her family have helped Paustenbaugh understand the need to act and continue forward through difficult times.
Paustenbaugh also explained how the scriptures can be a great comfort and that she herself “received very clear impressions” during her own trials.
She continued by addressing the impact that gratitude can have when passing through difficult times.
“Thinking back on my own health challenge, it would be difficult to honestly feel gratitude for it. Yet I remember feeling a tremendous amount of gratitude in knowing that Heavenly Father was personally mindful of my situation,” she said.
Paustenbaugh concluded that personal trials brings miracles to our lives and that we must always try to recognize them.
“We can trust in Heavenly Father that the growth we experience at the points our bows break will bring the miracle of blessings previously unimagined,” she said.
