Trials

I feel like I'm way under-qualified to talk about trials. I don't know what it's like to lose an immediate family member. I don't live in a third world country (anymore, shout out Paraguay), I'm healthy as an ox and I have a good job and good family/friends around me. But life is still life and we all have our own trials to deal with. So here are my thoughts

 What the trial is, is meaningless. How we react, is everything.  

I'm not going to go into the different trials I've had to overcome because I'll sound like a whimp to some of you. But there were times where I'd wonder why I had this trial, or this weakness. Eventually I learned that what the trial is, is meaningless. How we react is everything. Sometimes there are big tests in life that are meant to teach us something, but often, we learn more from our reaction than actually solving the problem.

How we react is everything. I think there have been times in my life where I overcame an obstacle by simply enduring. Cuz that's what we're told to do right? Endure to the end, no matter what just don't give up. And I think that's great to a certain point, but I hope at some time we will realize there is a difference between enduring, and enduring it well. 

A loving God has not given us tests simply to see if we can endure difficulty, but rather to see if we can endure them well. Enduring and enduring it well may have the same tangible outcome. But the latter is what can have an impact on our character. Elder Eyering often describes this as "polishing" the soul. Our trials and difficulties give us the opportunity to learn and grow and they may even change our very nature. 

So... how can you go from enduring to enduring it well? Primary answers for the winnnnnn

1. pray always. Like for real. Pray more than you've ever prayed in your life. Then double that. Before every meal. While you're washing the dishes. On you're way to work. Try to be sincere. Really pour out your heart for that last one before you go to bed.  
2. keep the Commandments. Watch Shia Labeouf's youtube video and just do it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq0V8upDAGk
3. serve the Lord. Serve Him by serving others. stretch yourself farther than ever before and the power of God will flow into your life and give you the strength you need. Spiritual Stretching... I'm trademarking that.   

Think back to the time when you have done these three things better than any other time in your life. you will remember that there were changes in you. You desired to do good. Not because you had to. But because you wanted to. You're doing it Peter!  ayyy name that movie reference...

Cool cool cool. Well I can't talk about overcoming adversity without mentioning the atonement. 

People say God will never give us more than we can handle. I say bs. If that were true we wouldn't need a savior! But because we face challenges we cannot over come on our own, we have a savior who has suffered more than we can comprehend so that He can know how to help us endure it well. 

He has already paid the price, His help is free, just ask for it!! The sooner we admit that things are too hard to handle by ourselves, the sooner we can turn to God. Many of us wait till we hit rock bottom to turn to God, making the climb that much harder. So let's turn to him now while things are still hunkey dory. Okay? cool cool cool.

I hope this might have changed your perspective a little bit on challenges. Endure it well... It's like doing it with a smile. It's not just trying to pass through trials, but letting them pass through us. Come out different then when you started. 

Deuces