Blessings and Trials

It is the human, carnal nature of man to hash over ad nauseum the trials that we face personally, professionally or hidden in the recesses of our hearts.

It is also human nature to wonder "why me?" when something unpleasant occurs. It's as if our emotional maturity scale reverts to 3 years old any time we are faced with the realities of life that have scarred others but to which, until this point, we had been spared.

The reality is the question is incorrect from the start. It shouldn't be "why me?" but "why not me?"

No one wants to endure trials. We feel like God should love us enough to provide us a free pass from the suffering that others different from us must suffer. But in truth, we aren't different from them. We are just waiting for our turn to show our Father in Heaven that our faith in Him isn't based upon circumstances but upon the affections of our hearts.

Often, as members of the Church, we tend to take a long view of the sufferings and trials of the early years and think how noble those pioneering Saints were.

While some of our 'hero worship' is justly ascribe, I think too much of it negates the fact that they, too, had their questions and their times of lonely, aching wondering concerning how long and how drastic the trial they must endure would really become.

Like ripping off a bandaid by degrees, sometimes life is just filled with rude little shocks and temporarily painful moments. I say temporary because nothing here is permanent. We were not meant to stay here in this mortal state forever. That is contrary to the laws of God.

What we were intended to do is press forward in faith DESPITE our circumstances and remember that in our little ship of state we have a choice regarding who's hand is upon the tiller guiding us through the stormy seas of life.

We can trust to our own 'arm of flesh' and our puny understandings, or we can trust that Someone has our interests at heart and desires us to grow closer to Him.

We can trust that while there may be bad times to wade through, we don't have to become bad people as our response.

We can choose ahead how we will act and what our course of action will become.

Martha Custis Washington said it well: "I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions and not on our circumstances."

I believe that to be true. Some people wear their trials on their faces like some sort of badge of suffering. Others choose to keep their struggles between them and the Almighty and a few close 'prayer warrior' friends.

Either way, you can direct your personal disposition.

We have our own little basket of assorted issues right now. Job loss, possibly for a long time, worry over how we will pay bills and take care of our debts, and just the day to day that makes life exciting.

Even in the midst of a patch of personal discomfort, it doesn't seem to be much use to whine and carry on about it. Because despite whatever we may go through in mortality, if our spiritual house is in order, everything will be alright.

The reverse isn't true though... if our spiritual house is in ruins, no amount of money and worldly security can even out the balance sheet to let us into the straight path and narrow gate.

I'm thankful for a lot. My husband and family, who are my home no matter what house or dwelling we live in, for the blessing of liberty and freedom to be stoic, whiney or just walk along in faith one step at a time. I am thankful that I have something to eat and something to wear.

And I'm thankful to have some time to realize that everything we have is a stewardship granted to us from God above. There are others who lack all that we have in abundance but who radiate the gospel light.

I hope my candle of faith remains both bright and strong. I desire it to be no matter what the circumstances.

To that end, I share this by Louisa May Alcott : "A faithful friend is a strong defense; and he that hath found him hath found a treasure." Our most faithful friend in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of hardship and in times of joy is our Savior and Redeemer. And our Father is not one step behind in His friendship to us as we struggle through mortality.

In them is my eternal treasure.

I only hope to one day be counted as theirs.