I came across this video on YouTube at the most perfect time. What a perfect example of people in the gospel and what a testimony it is to me that we can overcome trials in our life if we put our faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and try to endure them to the best of our ability. During times of trials, we are invited to come unto Christ and he will give us rest. The past month or so I have hit some hard times, often finding it easy to get down on myself. Just as in this video, sometimes through trials, many find themselves asking, "my God, where art thou?" However, God is always there. That's one of the greatest messages of the gospel is that we are NEVER alone. This video says it perfectly: "When lonely, cold, hard times come, he is there. Prays are heard, and when we weep, he and the angels of heaven weep with us."
Everyone here on earth has their challenges and difficulties, which are part of our mortal test. The reason for some of these trials cannot be readily understood except on the basis of faith and hope because there is often a larger purpose which we do not always understand. This often makes it hard to endure trials, but through faith and hope, we can receive peace through these bumps in the road. In the scriptures it says that if we endure our trials well God shall exalt us on high. How we handle and endure our trails is huge. "Sometime in the eternities to come, we will see that our trials were calculated to cause us to turn to our Heavenly Father for strength and support. Any affliction or suffering we are called upon to bear may be directed to give us experience, refinement, and perfection. Turning to our Heavenly Father in times of trials is the best thing we can do. I believe this is one of the greatest reasons we have trials. He is the only one that knows us perfectly and who can help us cope during these times.
Tribulation, afflictions, and trials will constantly be with us in our time here on earth. In John 16:33 it says "In the world ye shall have tribulation." Therefore, the great challenge in this earthly life is not to determine how to escape the afflictions and problems, but rather to carefully prepare ourselves to meet them. We have been promised that Heavenly Father will never give us an trial or tribulation that we cannot handle. There is such great comfort in this. Sometimes we often feel that we cannot overcome trials, or we allow trials to overcome us. I know that if we turn to our Heavenly Father during these hard times that we will find peace through them and the we can learn and grow as we choose to grow closer to our Heavenly Father through these experiences. Heavenly Father is truly watching over us and he is trying to mold us into the best people we can become. As I've studied this a little, I've made a goal to face my trails in a more patience, hope, faith in a more enduring manner so that I can recognize the good of certain afflictions I face. After all, as the scriptures say, these trials are for our good and learning, and if we face them correctly often times they are only for a small moment.
I don't know what I would do with out the gospel, especially in times of trials. I'm also so grateful for being at BYU too with the many people who have been put in my path to say the right things and to help provide in times of comfort. I'm also grateful for the Atonement, that allows us to overcome trials and sin. Elder Hale said: "When the challenges of mortality come, and they come for all of us, it may seem hard to have faith and hard to believe. At these times only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement can bring us peace, hope, and understanding. Only faith that He suffered for our sakes will give us the strength to endure to the end. When we gain this faith, we experience a mighty change of heart, and like Enos, we become stronger and begin to feel a desire for the welfare of our brothers and sisters. We pray for them, that they too will be lifted and strengthened through faith on the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ." How great of a messages this is.
