In 2 Nephi 2:2 Lehi stated that the trials we endure can turn to our benefit. How have your trials strengthened you. Please share what you learned from these verses.
Sometimes I forget the definition of the word consecrate. It means to make something holy or set it aside for a divine purpose. That is what God promises to do with my trials! I can slog through them on my own, or I can lay them before the Lord in faith that He will make my struggle divine! I have felt that shift at times when I am struggling through a trial. I have felt it go from a mortal struggle to a divine experience that was building my soul in righteousness and progress toward divinity. I don’t just do it once, but over and over again throughout a trial as I struggle and lose perspective then God restores it piece by piece. We can pray for this blessing for others we know are struggling through a trial as well. Christ told Peter that Satan desired to have him, but he was praying for him - that his faith would not fail. What a gift we can offer others if we pray that their faith will not fail, and that God will consecrate their trials for their good. This is why trials make us or break us, make us better or bitter. If God’s hand is upon it, it is good.
Thanks for your comment Melanie! I love the last part about making us better or bitter. I remember the bishop saying thathought same thing to me as I was going through a trial and it really is so true!
I love this quote by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Everyone’s situation is different, and the details of each life are unique. Nevertheless, I have learned that there is something that would take away the bitterness that may come into our lives. There is one thing we can do to make life sweeter, more joyful, even glorious. We can be grateful! It might sound contrary to the wisdom of the world to suggest that one who is burdened with sorrow should give thanks to God. But those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace, and understanding."
I liked what Neil L. Anderson said today in his talk. "When faced with a trial of faith—whatever you do, you don’t step away from the Church! Distancing yourself from the kingdom of God during a trial of faith is like leaving the safety of a secure storm cellar just as the tornado comes into view." I think this is so important to remember when trials come.
I don't know if i can say yet that I'm 100%grateful for my trial:) but i can say without any reservation that i am so thankful for the things I've learned for the relationship i am building with heavenly father and Jesus because of my trials, and for that i would choose to go through them again, but I'm still working on the grateful part:) i think growing up in the gospel i learned all the right stuff, but then in the midst of trial you actually have to apply it. I have learned that i need to really trust and believe in my savior and putting all of my effort and might into gaining that has brought such sweet experiences that have changed me. I appreciate the above comments, i love the comment about praying for those who are struggling to allow their trials to turn into something divine....so good!!
Thank you for your comment--I completely agree. It is so wonderful to grow and learn to come to the Lord "broken" and humble and with the ability to be shaped into something greater. The downside? It is so painful and can be so messy and so hard. Love your thoughts!
My husband and I have been married for almost 16 years. Not too long ago I was looking at our wedding photo and the thought came to me as I saw my younger self, "I don't even recognize that girl!" The change I recognized in myself was not my size, hair, fashion, or age....although all those things have changed!!...it was my spiritual maturity, my personal conversion...my growth. This growth has come most rapidly in the crucibles of my life...my own personal Gethsemanes. If we allow our experiences to build our character, strengthen our faith, make us better/stronger, and ultimately draw us closer to the Savior then we can become who are God wants us to become. I have come to understand and trust the enabling power of the atonement in ways I never could have without my trials. It is always easier to look back in the rear view mirror and see the growth and learning and feel gratitude for the trials. It's harder to maintain that perspective while we are enduring them, but I do know that the Lord does consecrate our afflictions for our good and does not leave us alone without His help, guidance, and love.
I loved In Elder Oaks talk, Give Thanks in All Things where he says, We should give thanks for our afflictions because they turn our hearts to God and give us opportunities to prepare for what God would have us become. When I think of adversity, I think of the prophet Joseph Smith and all that he went through in Carthage jail and these scriptures come to mind, DC 121:7-8 "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." And also DC 122:5-7 "If thou art called to pass through tribulation…know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." What a comfort these scriptures are to me. I do not like the suffering that comes along with the trials I have been given but I am so grateful for the relationship I have developed with my Heavenly Father because of them. They have strengthened my faith and my ability to pray and find answers and to become like Him and see the person that God sees in me and know that He is with me always.
Sometimes I forget the definition of the word consecrate. It means to make something holy or set it aside for a divine purpose. That is what God promises to do with my trials! I can slog through them on my own, or I can lay them before the Lord in faith that He will make my struggle divine! I have felt that shift at times when I am struggling through a trial. I have felt it go from a mortal struggle to a divine experience that was building my soul in righteousness and progress toward divinity. I don’t just do it once, but over and over again throughout a trial as I struggle and lose perspective then God restores it piece by piece. We can pray for this blessing for others we know are struggling through a trial as well. Christ told Peter that Satan desired to have him, but he was praying for him - that his faith would not fail. What a gift we can offer others if we pray that their faith will not fail, and that God will consecrate their trials for their good. This is why trials make us or break us, make us better or bitter. If God’s hand is upon it, it is good.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Melanie! I love the last part about making us better or bitter. I remember the bishop saying thathought same thing to me as I was going through a trial and it really is so true!
DeleteWow - great comment! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteThank you!
DeleteI love this quote by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Everyone’s situation is different, and the details of each life are unique. Nevertheless, I have learned that there is something that would take away the bitterness that may come into our lives. There is one thing we can do to make life sweeter, more joyful, even glorious.
ReplyDeleteWe can be grateful!
It might sound contrary to the wisdom of the world to suggest that one who is burdened with sorrow should give thanks to God. But those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace, and understanding."
I liked what Neil L. Anderson said today in his talk. "When faced with a trial of faith—whatever you do, you don’t step away from the Church! Distancing yourself from the kingdom of God during a trial of faith is like leaving the safety of a secure storm cellar just as the tornado comes into view." I think this is so important to remember when trials come.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if i can say yet that I'm 100%grateful for my trial:) but i can say without any reservation that i am so thankful for the things I've learned for the relationship i am building with heavenly father and Jesus because of my trials, and for that i would choose to go through them again, but I'm still working on the grateful part:) i think growing up in the gospel i learned all the right stuff, but then in the midst of trial you actually have to apply it. I have learned that i need to really trust and believe in my savior and putting all of my effort and might into gaining that has brought such sweet experiences that have changed me. I appreciate the above comments, i love the comment about praying for those who are struggling to allow their trials to turn into something divine....so good!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment--I completely agree. It is so wonderful to grow and learn to come to the Lord "broken" and humble and with the ability to be shaped into something greater. The downside? It is so painful and can be so messy and so hard. Love your thoughts!
DeleteI love both of these comments, I agree wholeheartedly with both comments.
DeleteI love both of these comments, I agree wholeheartedly with both comments.
DeleteMy husband and I have been married for almost 16 years. Not too long ago I was looking at our wedding photo and the thought came to me as I saw my younger self, "I don't even recognize that girl!" The change I recognized in myself was not my size, hair, fashion, or age....although all those things have changed!!...it was my spiritual maturity, my personal conversion...my growth. This growth has come most rapidly in the crucibles of my life...my own personal Gethsemanes. If we allow our experiences to build our character, strengthen our faith, make us better/stronger, and ultimately draw us closer to the Savior then we can become who are God wants us to become. I have come to understand and trust the enabling power of the atonement in ways I never could have without my trials. It is always easier to look back in the rear view mirror and see the growth and learning and feel gratitude for the trials. It's harder to maintain that perspective while we are enduring them, but I do know that the Lord does consecrate our afflictions for our good and does not leave us alone without His help, guidance, and love.
ReplyDeleteI loved In Elder Oaks talk, Give Thanks in All Things where he says, We should give thanks for our afflictions because they turn our hearts to God and give us opportunities to prepare for what God would have us become. When I think of adversity, I think of the prophet Joseph Smith and all that he went through in Carthage jail and these scriptures come to mind, DC 121:7-8 "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." And also DC 122:5-7 "If thou art called to pass through tribulation…know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." What a comfort these scriptures are to me. I do not like the suffering that comes along with the trials I have been given but I am so grateful for the relationship I have developed with my Heavenly Father because of them. They have strengthened my faith and my ability to pray and find answers and to become like Him and see the person that God sees in me and know that He is with me always.
ReplyDelete✔️
ReplyDelete