Hard Things

A couple of weeks ago Vicki Walker talked at church about hard things and how we deal with them. Today as I looked around during sacrament I saw people that I love who have endured Hard Things in their lives. The person who has suffered from the loss of a child ... could I do that? My children mean so much to me they are the reason I don't give up some days, living without one of them would be the hardest thing I could imagine going through. I am grateful for the knowledge that I will live with my family forever, I have a testimony of the plan of salvation.
What about the person I know who has been through a divorce, would I be the bitter woman who cannot forgive? I might, a divorce takes so much out of a person. I know women who have lost their husbands to cancer and heart attacks, they are some of the strongest women I know, how do they do that? Parents who's children are addicted to pornography, drugs or alcohol, my heart aches for them. The hold that Satan has on those kids is real and it's all consuming. The sleepless nights, being on bended knee pleading with the Lord to help your son or daughter can be a heart breaking experience. Then there are the couples who do everything right, but because of this economy they lose their jobs, homes and for the 1st time in their lives they are questioning themselves, wondering how this could happen.
Most everyone I know has been through hard things in their life, some learn from it and never forget how in despair the Lord really did comfort and bless them, some walk away from life and choose to not look back, blaming life's trials on others. There comes a time in all of our lives when we have to decide if we are on the Lords side or not. I have learned that having faith is not a convenience, we cannot decide to have faith when things go wrong and expect those trials to be taken away suddenly because we have faith. However, I do believe for some of us who are stubborn it takes time to learn to turn things over to the Lord and ask him to teach us, sincerely ask Heavenly Father to bless us with his love. Even through disasters and hard times in our lives we can find some relief by staying close to what we know to be true. Now that I understand WHO I AM, and that part of Heavenly Father lives in me, I know he has made promises that will come true, I know I am a woman of great worth and a daughter of HIM who loves me and wants me to succeed and be happy. I know he looks down on me and his love surrounds me even during Hard Things.