Connection is the Key to Courage

Today I dragged my tired worn out work body home quickly, jumped in the shower for some rejuvenation, and headed out in my Sunday best for a Stake Youth fireside. It was a veg on the couch kind of day, but I'm so glad I didn't give in to that feeling. The speaker was Doug Nelson (not sure if the spelling is right), but he's a public speaker/psycotherapist and was amazing! I told one of the counselors in the Young Women's presidency that I love youth speakers, they are way more entertaining than adult speakers! He took our Courage in Action theme from Youth Conference a few months ago and expounded on it. He talked about how we all need a little fear in order for us to exercise Courage. He then said the key to courage is connection. We all need to be connected with our Heavenly Father so that He can help us to "Be Strong and of a Good Courage." He related several scripture stories. He talked about how in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve had partaken of the fruit, God came looking for them. He asked us to think about how often in our lives is God looking for us, and we're not paying attention, or we're hiding from him. He talked about the Prodigal Son and how the Father saw him coming from afar off. The Father had to be watching and waiting for the return. Our Father watches us and looks for us and if we live connected to Him we can have courage in the hard times. He also talked about how important it is to remember whose we are. If we truly know that we are children of God we will have the courage to face what the adversary throws at us. He talked about how fear is holding us back from accomplishing the mission we came here to do. We all have a mission in life, and if we don't fulfill our mission, we are selfish. We need to overcome fear with courage and defeat Satan in all of his power. It was such an amazing fireside. I really hope the youth got as much out of it as I did. It really is rejuvenating to have a spiritual experience after a hectic day, and for that I am grateful.