Gratitude for Trials

This week we have studied the Alma 43-63 – Also known as the “War Chapters” these are some of my favorite stories in the Book of Mormon.  They remind me of so many important things.  Captain Mormoni covering his army with armor “the Armor of God” is the lesson we learn from this and how each piece of armor has a doctrinal meaning or link.  The Stripling Warriors, how they were so pure in purpose and heart that not one of them fell in battle.  Helaman and his great love and service for his people.  But through all of this we see huge life changing or taking trails that they each had to overcome.  So it has really made me think about how important our trials are to our growth in this life and in our eternal growth. 

President Monson, talked about trails in his October 2013 conference address titled: “I Will Not Fail Thee, Nor Forsake Thee”.  He begins by talking about the loss of his dear sweet wife.  Then he relates it to all the difficulties we face in life.  He says that we are tempted to ask “Why me?” He says that “At times there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel, no sunrise to end the night’s darkness. We feel encompassed by the disappointment of shattered dreams and the despair of vanished hopes.”  When this happens we often cannot see the growth we are gaining or the love of our Heavenly Father, we feel abandoned and broken and alone.  So do we give up or press forward? 

President Monson goes on to say, “Whenever we are inclined to feel burdened down with the blows of life, let us remember that others have passed the same way, have endured, and then have overcome.”

When I am struggling with some of these feelings, it helps me to remember that the scriptures are filled with the stories of those who have endured so much.  I often reflect on the life that Jesus Christ lived and the atonement that he made for each of us.  When I think of the atonement, I am reminded that I am never alone and there is someone who completely understands what I am going through at that very moment.   In also helps, to get on my knees and talk with Heavenly Father, during these times I know that I really "pour my heart out" to him but I am also really working on remembering to thank Him for all that he has done for and given me.

Close to the end of his talk President Monson give this counsel, “Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that we learn and grow and become stronger as we face and survive the trials through which we must pass. We know that there are times when we will experience heartbreaking sorrow, when we will grieve, and when we may be tested to our limits. However, such difficulties allow us to change for the better, to rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and to become something different from what we were—better than we were, more understanding than we were, more empathetic than we were, with stronger testimonies than we had before.”

I love this statement! It is some much of what I have been feeling this week. We all have trails and at times we do not see how we will make it through them, but (and here is how this ties in with faith) if we put our faith in our Heavenly Father and put one foot in front of the other, doing what must be done and knowing that he will carry us through this, we will make it through whatever we have to, we will become stronger in faith, in knowledge, in spirit and we will be better for it! And yes, most of all we will be grateful for the opportunity to grow and become better!