As we discussed yesterday, there is a growing sense among some that discipleship does not—or should not—demand anything particularly difficult, or at least nothing that involves the loss or sacrifice of a true good.

Those who adopt this stance seem to have not paid attention, either to scripture or to the lives we live daily.

One of the more difficult is responding to things we think are wrong—things which may even be wrong. Too many act as if such things deserve a “pass” or don’t follow the same rules.

[Something] that happens in our lives is named “the trial of your faith.” As long as we live in the Church and in the world the process that’s going on is the trial of our faith. Sometimes we say: “The Brethren did ‘this’ and it tried my faith.” Or we say, “the bishop did ‘this’ and it tried my faith.” Well, maybe it does. That’s fine—that’s what life is all about. One of the great objectives of being in the Church is to see whether we’ll pass something that is named “the trial of our faith” in spite of everything that goes on, that may or may not be what it ought to be. If something ought not be the way it is, that’s sad—that’s just part of life—and we have to survive and do the right thing ourselves in spite of it.

Bruce R. McConkie, “1st Peter,” unpublished lecture transcript, University of Utah Institute, 27 May 1968; cited in Dennis B. Horne (ed.), Determining Doctrine: A Reference Guide for Evaluation Doctrinal Truth (Roy, Utah: Eborn Books, 2005), 325.

The sins and mistakes of others, then–no matter who they are–provide us no excuse, no exception, no relief from the stern demands of discipleship.

Indeed, it is for just such moments that discipleship comes into its own.