"[T]he Lord has in His purposes a time when we're called to serve. He expects us to use the talents and experiences He has given us. I'm a great believer that the Lord provides us with specific experiences to prepare is to deal with some of the challenges that we're going to encounter in out own period of service." -Thomas S. Monson (emphasis added)
This quote was in one of my readings for my Living Prophets class. I read it and highlighted it. Twice. It's a deep statement. This idea has been on my mind for the past couple of days. I had a discussion with a few of my friends about this subject, actually, and it was a good discussion.
We are put into situations or given hardships with three ways - our own doing, other people's agency, or the Lord wants to strengthen us with that hardship. When we encounter a trouble in our life, how should we react? Many of us react with the phrase, "Why now? Why me? Why this?" Maybe we should think more towards the idea of "What can I learn from this? How will this help me grow? Did I do this to myself or does Heavenly Father want to help me grow and become a better person?"
Sometimes, life is hard. I know it. Even if your life might not be necessarily hard, we - ourselves - can blow it out of proportion and make it harder. Sometimes, things happen. We might not know why, but we know that with the help from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that we can get through anything.
With all of this in consideration, I sometimes wish that we could ask Heavenly Father if I am going to turn out all right. Where I am going to be in the next few years. Who I am going to marry. How many kids I am going to have. What I will be doing with the rest of my life. What will happen with that friend that I gave a copy of The Book of Mormon to.
I know that Heavenly Father does not work like that - He gives us revelation line upon line, precept upon precept. He gives us what we can handle at that time. He helps us with what we ask for and helps us to the next point in our lives. President Packer says that you have to take a few steps into the dark before you will be shown what way you are supposed to go. Someone else says that God cannot drive a parked car. John Bytheway says, "I will go and do, not sit and stew." Sometimes you have to take a few steps before Heavenly Father will tell you or show you which way to go.
I have some big decisions in my life right now - where to live next year, what to major in, whether to worry about certain things or not, and how I should treat things from the past, present, and future. These are slightly scary things to worry about and it is definitely hard sometimes. But I know that I can pray to my Father in Heaven and that I will be able to get help from Him with what I need help with. I might not get the help exactly when I want it, but I know that I will get it. I just have to rely on God's timetable and not my own. As Elder Robert D. Hales said in the last General Conference, "Too often we ask for patience that we want right now."
I love being here at Brigham Young University and having all of these new experiences and classes that are helping me grow as a person - spiritually, mentally, and socially. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be here. I miss my family, of course, but I want them to know that I still love them very much. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ is the true church on the earth today and that it has blessed my life immensely. I know that my Heavenly Father lives, loves me, and wants to help me return to Him. I know that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world and that He rose again and lives. He is my redeemer and I am forever grateful. President Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet on the earth today and I know that he will guide us in today's day and age and not lead us astray, if only we listen to his counsel and that of his counselors.
Sometimes, life is hard. But as long as we know that these "experience[s] shall be for [our] good" and to "fear not what man can do" (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7, 9), everything will turn out all right.
