Evidence of Hard Challenges
Life is beautiful—though it is also challenging. Wins and losses, progress and setbacks, moments of joy and seasons of disappointment all come together to give us experience—and can shape us into who we are meant to be, the best versions of ourselves.
Often, we begin like the Rocky Mountains—rugged and jagged. But as life refines us, we become more like the Scottish Highlands—worn smooth, steady, and quietly confident in who we are becoming. As mountains form and settle over time, they bear the marks of what they have endured—evidence of the past and of progress over time. And like a mountain, we carry marks in our own lives—reminders of where we have been, where we are, and where we hope to go.
Some of life’s greatest lessons come from experiences we would never choose.[1] And often, it is these difficult moments that leave marks. But these marks, the evidence of hard challenges, can become sacred, reminding us and teaching others of the progress they represent.
Don Jessop, a 27-year-old husband and father, was living his dream as a cowboy when a tragic accident left him paralyzed from the chest down. Suddenly, life changed for his young family. They moved to a new home better suited to his needs, where Don learned to navigate each room in a wheelchair.
In doing so, he unintentionally left marks—scrapes and gouges along doors and doorframes. Over time, these marks accumulated and could be seen by all who entered.
Years later, after Don had passed, his children refurbished the home, adding new paint and new carpet, with great care given to its restoration. But one thing was not restored: the marks left by their father’s wheelchair.
To the family, these marks were sacred—evidence of a difficult life well lived—one that was characterized by growth, resilience, and love.
We each carry marks from the difficult times of our own lives, but these challenges and their marks need not define us. Rather, they can inspire us and those around us to keep moving forward. May we embrace and even give thanks for the evidence of hard challenges in our lives. The scratches and gouges testify of experience, of effort, of progress, and of faith in the future.
[1] For a more complete consideration of this thought, see Gerrit W. Gong, “Eternity’s Great Gifts: Jesus Christ’s Atonement, Resurrection, Restoration,” Liahona, May 2025, 97–99.
June 14, 2026
Broadcast Number 5,048
The Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Tempe Square
Conductor(s)
Mack Wilberg
Ryan Murphy
Organist
Richard Elliott
Host
Derrick Porter
O Come Ye Nations of the Earth
Traditional, arr. Mack Wilberg
Rejoice, the Lord Is King
Malcolm Archer
Guide Us, O Thou Great Jehovah (Cwm Rhondda)
John Hughes, arr. Paul Manz
Pilgrim Song
American Folk Hymn, arr. Ryan Murphy
Music Everywhere
Ryan Murphy
Be Still, My Soul
Jean Sibelius, arr. Mack Wilberg
Call of the Champions
John Williams