Are you experiencing Turbulence?

Several years ago I listened to a talk tape by a man trying to help people learn to deal with daily stress and problems. While flying to a seminar, his wife commented about the turbulence they experienced. She said she was not afraid of flying when it was smooth, only when there was turbulence. His comment to her, and to us, was “but turbulence happens in the air.” We are not afraid when life is smooth, only when things are rocky. When my life is stressful and rocky, I will often say I am experiencing turbulence.
During the Saturday session of October Conference, I sat on temple square in Salt Lake City, with my sister, enjoying the beautiful fall weather, listening to conference, and watching people. The Sister missionaries approached us and talked for a while about missionary work. When they left, we realized we had missed Elder Uchtdorf’s talk. Imaging my delight in reading that talk today and finding he talks about turbulence from a pilot’s point of view. He says a new pilot may speed up the plane when experiencing turbulence, but experienced pilots know that there is “an optimum turbulence penetration speed that will minimize the negative effects of turbulence. And most of the time that would mean to reduce your speed.”
How often do we try to speed up when we experience stress, or turbulence in our lives? The more we try to hurry, the more things seem to go wrong. The light only turns red, or the car in front of you is only slow, when you are in a hurry. Elder Uchtdorf says that “the wise understand that there is more to life than increasing its speed. In short, they focus on the things that matter most.”
Sometimes we feel that we are imprisoned by the busyness of our lives, when in reality we are the jailor holding the key to our escape. Do we need to be involved in all the things we do? Do we need all the stuff we collect? What are the reasons that we do the things you do? Are you busy to keep busy or to prove your significance in the world? (Can you ever really prove your significance?) Do your children have to be involved in everything, even if they don’t want to? Are you living up to a worldly ideal of perfection?

Quotes from Elder Uchtdorf’s talk:
“Leonardo da Vinci is quoted as saying that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”3 When we look at the foundational principles of the plan of happiness, the plan of salvation, we can recognize and appreciate in its plainness and simplicity the elegance and beauty of our Heavenly Father’s wisdom. Then, turning our ways to His ways is the beginning of our wisdom.
“Elder Dallin H. Oaks, in a recent general conference, taught, “We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.””
“My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most. Let us be mindful of the foundational precepts our Heavenly Father has given to His children that will establish the basis of a rich and fruitful mortal life with promises of eternal happiness. They will teach us to do “all these things . . . in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [we] should run faster than [we have] strength. [But] it is expedient that [we] should be diligent, [and] thereby . . . win the prize.”
Brothers and sisters, diligently doing the things that matter most will lead us to the Savior of the world. That is why “we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, . . . that [we] may know to what source [we] may look for a remission of [our] sins.” In the complexity, confusion, and rush of modern living, this is the “more excellent way/”
“Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from placing our attention and efforts on the basics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most.
Let us simplify our lives a little. Let us make the changes necessary to refocus our lives on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship—the path that leads always toward a life of meaning, gladness, and peace.”

When you feel the turbulence of life shaking you to your foundation, make sure you are built upon the rock of Jesus Christ. Take a deep breath, slow down, and pray for strength and guidance. God will guide you and help you through. Trust him and know that he has a plan for your life and the challenges you face now may be preparing you for the future.

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