Overcoming Opposition

This... Is Elder Coles.  My companions and I went biking the other day for our P-Day (the one day a week where we get to do laundry, shop, and prepare for our week).  It was pretty great, but pretty short because we are all out of shape.  It kind of reminded me of this story I heard one time................. (This is a true story, names are of course fictional.)

I once heard about this scout group that was on a biking trip in the canadian rockies.  Frent, Creston and Zolan were in this scout group, and they were good friends.  They rode this beautiful trail up the a glacier lake, with clear blue water and stunning trees surrounding the lake.  There is a glacier that you can climb up into as well.  In order to get to the glacier though, you had to walk through a shallow part of the lake.  The water was FREEZING! (or so I hear)  So the scout group climbs up into this glacier and they have a great time and ate their lunches and laughed together.  Then it was time to go back.
" Boys," said Ghys to the scout group, "I'm going to swim accross this lake," and he jumped in the lake and swam accross.  It was pretty impressive because the lake was probably like 0 degrees.  Then all of the sudden alot of the other kids in the scout group started jumping in and swimming accross!
"Those kids are nuts!," said Frent, who was astounded by their courage.
"Guys, are we going to let them show us up?" Zolan asked Frent and Creston.
"We have to do something big," said Creston.  "Lets climb up on top of the glacier, jump in, and then swim accross."
"Then everyone will think we are the coolest!"  Frent and Zolan were super excited about this idea.  So the three of them climbed up on top of the glacier and were getting ready to jump in, when they did something they all regret to this day.  They thought about what they were actually doing, instead of just doing it.
"Guys, this isnt a very good idea, that water is so cold!"
"Pff we can't think about it!  Just do it!"  By this time it was too late though, and they didnt want to jump in anymore.  While they were standing on top of the glacier trying to decide if they were going to jump or not, a group of hikers came walking up to the lake.  This was not a ordinary group of hikers though, it was a group of Japanese tourists and there was like 50 of them looking at these boys, telling them to "jump in the lake!" and "do it unless your scared!"
"Awe man we have to do it now!" said Frent, who was ready to jump in.  But then, they thought about it again and thought "why would we do this? we will just be cold the whole rest of the way back" and to everyones disapointment, including the Japanese tourists, they didnt jump in.


 I often wonder, why is it when we are about to do the greatest good in our lives, that is when opposition is the strongest?  Even though I think about this lots, I know what the answer is.  The answer is that Satan doesnt want us to do good!  So he puts things in our way that will keep us from doing good!  Such as fear, or peer pressure, or temptations that we struggle with.  Its really annoying.  I remember before I came on my mission, I was given so many reasons not to serve.  I'm glad I overcame fears and decided to serve a mission. 
It is also very frustrating when we are teaching someone about the restored gospel and they are ready to take the biggest step towards Christ, which is baptism by proper authority, and then the opposition hits hardest.  They cant find time to read the book of mormon, or to come to church, or they may have a problem with peer pressure from friends.  It is always something.  But here is a comforting thought.  The reason why he hits the hardest then is because he knows you are about to take a step in the right direction.  We need to know this, and we need to push throuhg it!  We need to say "Satan, why do you even try?  You basically just told me that this is a step in the right direction with everything you are throwing at me!  I know this is something I need to do, and I will now thwart you in your plans to keep me from choosing the right and I will follow Jesus Christ instead."  I know that overcoming tempations and following Jesus Christ is the way to happiness in this life.  I hope that when we are about to do the greatest good, and satan starts throwing us curve balls, that we can over come them and follow our Savior Jesus Christ.
(In the story, I'm not sure if they chose the right by not jumping in the lake... or if they should have jumped in but gave in to the tempation of not jumping in the lake... I'll let you decide!)