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Why do we have adversity?

Why do we have adversity?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

As part of Heavenly Father’s plan, we must experience adversity during mortality. In some cases, adversity comes as the result of our own poor choices or the choices of others. Other trials are simply a natural part of our mortal experience. Though they are difficult, our challenges can help us grow spiritually and become more like Jesus Christ.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

What adversities have you experienced? What have you learned from them? What has helped you deal with them? Are there appropriate experiences you could share with the young women?

Ponder and pray about the young women in your class. What challenges and trials are they experiencing? How are they dealing with adversity in their lives?

What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior personally knew those He taught—and who they could become. When they struggled, He did not give up on them but continued to love them. What struggles are the young women having? How can you show that you love and support them?

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

  • Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

  • Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

  • Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.

  • Show a picture of a chick coming out of its egg or a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, and share the points Elder Stanley G. Ellis made about chicks and butterflies in his talk “Do We Trust Him? Hard Is Good.” How are our adversities similar to the struggles of the chicks and butterflies? Divide the young women into pairs and give each pair a piece of paper with the word Hard written at the top. Invite them to work together to list as many things as they can find that Elder Ellis taught about how we can accomplish hard things in our lives. Invite the young women to share what they found. Ask the young women to share experiences when trusting in the Lord helped them with their challenges.

  • Read together some scriptures in which the Savior experienced adversity (such as Matthew 4:1–11; 26:38–39; Luke 23:33–34). What can the young women learn about adversity from the Savior’s life? How did He face His trials? Invite each young woman to write down a trial that she or a loved one is facing. Encourage the young women to ponder what they can learn from the Savior’s example that could help with this trial.

  • Invite the young women to think of examples of people in the scriptures who faced adversity (see the examples suggested in this outline). Ask them to read about these people in the scriptures and summarize the stories for the rest of the class. What do they learn about adversity from these stories that can help them overcome their own trials?

  • Read together the first two paragraphs of “Adversity” in True to the Faith. What is the role of adversity in Heavenly Father’s plan? Assign each class member one of the remaining three sections about adversity in True to the Faith, and ask the young women to prepare to teach the rest of the class what they learn from their section. Encourage them to share a story or personal experience related to what they read.

  • Draw a line down the middle of the board, and write Why do we have adversity? at the top of one column and How can we face the challenges in our lives? at the top of the other. Divide President Dallin H. Oaks’s talk “Opposition in All Things” into sections, and give each young woman a section to read. Ask the young women to look for answers to these questions and to write their answers on the board in the appropriate column. What insights do the young women gain from the talk? You could also show one of the videos suggested in this outline to help the young women find additional answers to the questions on the board.

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

  • Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?

  • Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

  • Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.

Related Youth Activities

Plan a Mutual activity that will help the young women apply what they learned in this lesson.