Trials or Blessings

Someone posted this quote on their Facebook and it really stood out to me, "What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise." -Oscar Wilde. I don't know who Oscar Wilde is but I fully agree with him. I have had these experiences over and over again.

The first one that I really remember recognizing the Lord's hand in something like this was a time when I was suppose to be flying down to CA to visit my family. I ended up getting quite sick on the day that I was suppose to head down so I didn't end up making it. I was so very disappointed and was wishing that I could have gone. Then a few days later I started having problems with my pregnancy at the time and I was able to go in to my doctors and get the care that I needed. I was grateful for a Heavenly Father who knew what was best for me and made sure that I was where I was suppose to be. Since that time I have often looked for the blessing in whatever trial I have been going through and I have seen so many blessings in disguise.

In church on Sunday we were reading in D&C 122: 5-8. In this scripture the Prophet Joseph is receiving revelation while in Liberty Jail. It lists a bunch of trials that the Prophet had to endure. The one that stood out to me the most was in verse 6, "if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you?". It listed many other awful things that the prophet had to endure but at the end it says, "know thou, my son, that all these things shall give you experience, and shall be or thy good". Then it goes on to say, "The son of man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?"

Wow! I have never had to endure such great trials as either Joseph or Christ but whatever trials I do go through, I know are for my good. I also love that it says they give us experience. I don't think I have ever gained faith without an experience (or many!) to go along with it. What a great blessing!  The next time you think you are going through a trial, try to stop and look at it and see if you can find the blessing. You might be surprised by what you find.

Faith Like Peter's

I have heard since primary the story of Jesus walking on water and then Peter also walking and then sinking when he doubts. Often the focus is on Peter not having enough faith and so he was not able to stay walking on the water.

We had a talk in sacrament meeting today that focused on another aspect of it that I have heard before and have loved. Peter must have had a great amount of faith to have been able to walk on the water even for a single step. And when his faith did waiver, he calls for the Lord to come and save him as soon as he began to sink. And the scripture says "and immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand". I love the use of the word immediately there. The Lord was there to lift him up as soon as he asked for help.

In the talk, the speaker also pointed out that it doesn't say how they got back to the ship but that they imagined that the Lord didn't let go of Peter and Peter didn't let go of the Lord until they were back on the ship, whether Peter was carried, dragged, or they were just holding hands.

I hope that I can have as much faith as Peter, that I could walk on water for even a few steps and when my faith waivers that I remember to call out to the Lord for help. I know that the Lord will be there to lift me up immediately. I know that he will not let go of me until I am safely back on board the ship.

Spiritual Maturity

While we were down in CA visiting my family, I went to my dad's Gospel Doctrine class. I really love going to my dad's classes because he is one of the wisest men I know and I feel like I always learn something from him.

This quote from the Gospel Doctrine manual really stood out to me, "God is not only our Ruler and Creator; He is also our Heavenly Father. All men and women are literally the sons and daughters of God. "Man, as a spirit, was begotten, and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 335)."

I thought this was a very interesting quote because it tells us that we were spiritually mature before we came to earth. We were not just thrown down here with no experience. We were spiritually mature and we still have that spiritual maturity in us even though we cannot fully remember it. It is also a comforting to know that like our parents here on earth, our Heavenly Father raised us and taught us what we needed to know before he sent us out on our own.

I know that with the Lord we can learn again how to be spiritually mature in this life.

Tough Days

Today has been a hard day. I feel stressed and sad and tired and lonely. I had to leave my family down in CA and come back home to WA. I always miss my family when I leave but for some reason this time was extra hard coming home. I want to move to CA to be closer to my family but I have a number of things stopping me (like a job, hospitals for Emma's surgery, and the fact that I just like WA better than CA). We have been seriously considering moving down there after Emma's surgery is over though.

Last night while I was laying in bed, thinking about how I was going to have to leave in the morning, I felt very strongly that Heavenly Father has a plan for me. I felt like I could hear the words, "Right now you need to stay in WA, I know it is going to be hard. My heart breaks with yours. But I know what is best for you in the long run." I also got a strong impression that He felt what I was feeling and knew exactly how hard it was going to be but He would get me through it. He was there wanting to let me do what I wanted because I wanted it but because He is a wise Father He knew that it was not what was best for me.

So for now I will stay in Seattle and be far from my family because I know the Lord has a plan for me. I will gladly turn my life over to Him and do what he asks me to do because I trust Him. I know that it will be hard but with His help and comfort He will get me through it. I feel so strongly the words of the hymns "I Stand All Amazed" and "I Feel My Saviors Love" and I know them to be true.

I wish that I could write down in words all that I feel and know to be true, that my children would know it too. I am not a well spoken person and feel that I cannot write it or say it as strongly as I feel it but for anyone who reads this, I want you to know that I know my Savior lives! I want to shout my praises to Him frequently. I know that He is a Great and Good God! And most especially that He loves me and wants me to be happy just as He does for all of His children.

So at the end of this day, that has been a hard day all around, with a lot of things that haven't gone quite right and a day that I feel extremely sad, I want to say Glory to God! I am so grateful for all of His blessings. I am grateful to have all of my family here with me now and the opportunity to have them all for eternity. I cannot think of a greater gift than that. I love my Heavenly Father and hope that I can stand up and fulfill the plan that He has for me.