Last sunday our Bishop's wife shared her testimony is sacrament about motherhood. She talked about how raising 8 children was not for "woosies" (love this word!)but how much she loved being a mother. Whoa...she does have a lot going on...I'm glad she loves her job and she does it well.
I've thought a lot about that lately. Not about having 8 kids and the difficulties of that but how life in general is not for woosies. What is hard for one person might not be for another. Each person's life and trials are custom designed for each of our personal growth. Not only that, but the Lord could never take away our challenges or we would have no agency. Think about it. If no one ever suffered, then no one would ever fail or achieve. We would have all followed Lucifer's plan. Don't you think he absolutely has the power to take away sickness, sorrow, sadness? Don't you think he would do it in a heartbeat if he thought it would make you a better person? Do you think for one moment our Father looks down on us and delights in our pains and sorrows? I think not. Do you think he is proud of who we become through our adversities? I know so. We are studying Job this week which is only fitting because it has filled my thoughts lately. Why? Why are people allowed to suffer? Job even himself asked this question. After losing all...home, family, income, and his health he wondered...as any of us would and do. Yet, he never doubted the Lord and even in the depths of his sorrow, yes, even wanting to die, he never denied his Maker and never blamed him. I've decided the test is to see if we'll make it through. Do we have the courage, the faith to go on even if we never understand the why? Even if we never find out during this lifetime? That is a question only non-woosies can answer. I'm not sure if I'm a non-woosie or not.
Elder Harold B. Lee, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve said,
"The more complicated our lives and the world conditions become, the more important it is for us to keep clear the purposes and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not the function of the religion to answer all the questions about God's moral government of the universe, but to give one courage, through faith, to go on in the face of questions he never finds the answers to in his present status."
I thought that was fitting this early morning.
I've decided life is not for woosies. Other's adversities are very real, even if they are not our own. I may not have tons of kids or I may not struggle with the same issues as someone else but my adversities are mine and they are real to me as they are to each of you. It has pained me these last few weeks to watch some of you suffer but I have learned much from your example. None of you are woosies. Be Still my Soul, the Lord is on thy side.
1 comment:
What a great message this morning! Thank you! I too have been thinking this week of what sister litster said and you are right...Everyone has their own challenges that they must go through. We try to help our friends and families as much as we can, but they still have to face it themselves and choose how they want to get through it. That is why we are here, to grow and learn from these trials.
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