Well, hello there. Hello to my returning readers and to my new friends to be. Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read this post. I'm glad you're here.
Whenever I write, I always like to start off with a quote, and I usually go from there on. It helps me to keep focus and define what my writing and thoughts are all about. So, lucky you, today I will be starting that same way. There is a special quote, dear to my heart, given by a man named Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, an American educator and religious leader, also known as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which brings great peace and joy to my heart and indeed it helps me to feel secure and loved by my Heavenly Father whenever I am going through times of trials and trouble.
"Don't give up. Don't you quite. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."
-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
You know, life can be a funny and tricky thing, don't you think? One day you wake up happy, just living the dream, loving life and not wishing for anything better. You have a great job, amazing friends, and a very loving and supportive family. Everything is just working out! Right? However, the next day, you are sad; Nothing seems to work out; You end up listening to sad songs while you eat food for comfort, feeling like you are not good enough and nothing else matters anymore, wishing you had magic powers to change every bad situation into a good one. You want to make that pain go away and just let go of the battle you are fighting against within yourself. You get down on your knees and ask Heavenly Father, "Why? Why is this happening to ME? Why Heavenly Father? I can't do this."
Here is what I can tell you -- Trials are hard! I know it, you know it. We, as humans, tend to overlook our potential as Heavenly Father's children. Indeed, we tend to doubt the things that we CAN do and what we can reach. One thing you should know is that our caring Heavenly Father truly loves each one of us. He knows us individually and personally. We are His eternal children! Yes, I agree, life's trials are not always fun, however, they can helps us grow and progress as individuals. "The trials of this life will ultimately lead to joy if we patiently trust in God's plan and discover how to use adversity to grow stronger," said Larry Richman at a devotional address given at the Brigham Young University - Idaho in 2007. Key phrase, "...patiently trust in God's plan..." We are not perfect, and Heavenly Father sends us a reminder every once in a while.
Throughout my past 24 years, I have had many challenges and trials in life, and guess what? I still do. We all do! And we will keep having them throughout our future life. Again, it is part of growing up and progressing. One of the purposes of trials is to help us come to know Christ, understand His teachings in our minds, feel them in our hearts, and live them in our lives. Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explains that God loves us perfectly and "would not require [us] to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for [our] personal benefit or for that of those [we] love. President Harold B. Lee once remarked: "Sometimes when [we] are going through the most severe tests, [we] will be nearer to God than [we] have any idea. As I mentioned earlier, Heavenly Father does not put any trials and challenges in our lives that we cannot handle. We just need to put our trust in Him. With faith, patience, hope, and trust, anything is possible. What direction are you choosing?
What I am trying to say is that... I KNOW that God and our Heavenly Father loves each one of us. Many times we, I, personally, tend to forget the direction I am going and what I am doing on this Earth. I tend to forget all the amazing blessings that I have received throughout my life. I tend to focus on the trial, not as a learning experience. I tend to ask myself many questions and bring doubts into what I really believe in. I tend to ask, "Is this really worth it? What is my purpose here?" Even though I have my own personal challenges, trials and questions, when I come to my senses and not act upon emotions only... I KNOW that in the end, it will all be worth it! I have shared my testimony before, but I will share it once again:
Jesus Christ is extremely important to me. He is the foundation for what I believe, how I feel and think, and what I want in life. I know that He loves me. I know that He is my Brother and my Father in Heaven. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Peace-giver, and our Best Friend. I feel so much love for Jesus Christ and I feel my love increase as I strive to be obedient to his commandments and serve others. I know that through His sacrifice, His atonement, we can become clean. Because of Jesus Christ I have been and continue to receive forgiveness for my sins and imperfections. As we qualify for the gift of faith and as we nurture that faith until it leads us to repent we can be cleansed through the baptism of water and the Spirit! Jesus Christ is important to me because He is our Savior. I know that He lived and died for each one of us. I know that He was resurrected and that He lives. Through His sacrifice we are able to return and live with our Heavenly Father and our families again. And what a marvelous gift that is?
Remember, we are all humans. Nobody is perfect, but as we strive for perfection, we can reach high on the mountain top! God loves me. God loves you. That is my message to you today. Don't be afraid to fail. Remember, you are God's eternal child. His trials are meant for us to grow and progress as individuals. Look up and smile always! :)
